Summer Vacation
by ranchlovesrucas
Summary: Annabeth gets a summer job as a lifeguard. But what happens when a certain green-eyed boy named Percy Jackson starts working there too? Read about the twists and turns in Percy and Annabeth's friendship that develops over the summer, or maybe it turns into something more?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! This is another fanfic that I have been thinking about writing, except instead of during school, it would be during the summer! Yeah, I know, wonderful. I just know that you're praising me for my awesome intelligence. Anyways, I hope you like this fanfic. So, here's the pilot of my first chapter! Here you go, lovelies!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

The first thing you should know about me is that I _hate_ summer. There is no school, nothing to do, _nothing._ It is absolutely boring.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

The last day of school was a blur. Everyone was jumping around, pranking each other like the idiot juveniles they were, and packing up their locker supplies. Like a smart person, I took everything home the day before.

My best friend, Luke Castellan, came up to me at the end of the day. "Hey Annabeth." He flashed a blinding smile to me. I smiled back. We were standing by our lockers, which were very close together. He was handsome, with blue eyes and windswept blonde hair. Every time I saw him my knees almost buckled.

Luke put his hand on my shoulder. Timidly, I looked him in the eyes. His pale blue eyes stared back at me. He smiled again, then opened his mouth to speak. "Annabeth, I have a question for you." I nodded, a motion for him to proceed. "Will you go out with me?"

It was a simple question. I knew the answers to all questions. Ask me one, you'll get the answer. But this is one question that I couldn't bring myself to answer.

Sure, I liked Luke. This was a moment that I had been dreaming about since eighth grade, and I'm a junior! For some reason, I just couldn't tell him yes.

I sighed. "Let me think about it, Luke." I tried to smile at him, but my lips wouldn't move anymore.

He nodded. "Definitely. Just, think about it over the summer, okay? Let me know whenever you decide." He flashed me that knee-buckling mischievous grin and walked away. My stomach was now made of butterflies right now, I'm sure.

I looked in my locker one last time, because the one thing that I had put in there was my backpack for extra papers that teachers always passed out on the last day of school. I shut it closed, softly at first, then ramming my fist with it until my hands hurt. "Another school year gone by." I sighed. I hesitantly walked away, not looking forward to my summer vacation.

 **LINE BREAK**

By the time I got home, my dad and Susan were already there. My real mom, Athena, was too busy working at an architectural site in Washington. My dad and my stepmom Susan were living in San Francisco at the time, but moved all the way to New York so I wouldn't have to change schools. It was a nice gesture, especially since Luke, Thalia, and Piper, my best friends, were there.

When my mother Athena was able to take care of me, I went to a boarding school for several years. It was more of a summer camp, but some kids stayed year round. Now I just visit for the summer.

Well, that's enough of my life story. Anyways, this year I can't go to camp, or Camp Half-Blood, because my parents agreed that I was old enough to get a job. Specifically, a summer job.

I decided to do something that wasn't at a restaurant because I knew my parents would try to go there as much as possible to check up on me. That would be embarrassing. So I got a job somewhere I knew they wouldn't go. The public pool.

My dad was a college professor, and he just liked to read books. He's not what you would call the "outdoorsy type." Susan has my two younger brothers, Matthew and Bobby, and she doesn't like taking them to a lot of public places where there are people because she is afraid she will loose the twins somewhere and not be able to find them. It's not the first time that's happened.

So, this summer, my job is to be a lifeguard at the public pool. I already passed my swim exam and the many tests, such as treading water, the weight retrieval test, CPR, and saving people. **(A/N: Sorry if I got any of the swim tests wrong. I might've left some out too. I just looked up the information online, so sorry if it's wrong.)**

I started my job tomorrow, and I was excited even though I hadn't wanted a summer job. Swimming was something that I really enjoyed, even though I wouldn't be swimming most of the time. Still, I was kind of glad that I got a nice job instead of working at McDonald's the entire summer.

I walked in, my father reading a book at the table, Susan trying to get the boys to eat. I sat down with them, my plate on the table already. Spaghetti, my favorite.

"Hey Annabeth," Susan said. I nod at her, my mouth full with spaghetti noodles. My stepmom didn't like me that much because she's afraid that I was going to put her children in danger, even though I am responsible. She was also jealous of my real mother because my father still loves her. Technically, that's why she doesn't like me, because I am Athena's daughter.

Nevertheless, she insists on making small talk to make my father happy. Unfortunately, it didn't make either of us very happy in the process.

My father was too wrapped up in his book to notice me, so when one of the boys dropped their plate on the floor, he looked up. "Hi Annabeth. When did you get here?" I shrugged.

"Half an hour ago," I guessed. He knitted his eyebrows, like he was trying to calculate how he didn't see me. I rolled my eyes. He was so clueless. My dad was so oblivious to the world that I don't know how he got his shirt buttoned without putting them in the wrong buttonholes.

I scooted out from the table, placing my plate in the sink. The clatter rattled the stainless steel, leaving a small scratch. Whoops.

It was when Susan was putting the boys to bed when I remembered Luke and I's conversation at school.

" _Let me think about it, Luke."_

" _Definitely. Just, think about it over the summer, okay? Let me know whenever you decide."_

I had been constantly thinking about that moment ever since I was thirteen and we became best friends. But, I just didn't know why I didn't say yes. Luke was sweet, charming, thoughtful, nice, and definitely cute. He was my best friend. Something made me resist the urge to utter one word. Yes.

Ugh. Why did everything have to be so confusing? Luke was such an amazing guy. I don't know how I didn't want to date him. I remembered something my mom had told me before she had left for Washington. " _You were meant for something bigger, Annabeth. No matter what you do, I'm proud of you. If you can't make a choice, you weren't mean to follow that path."_

I shook the painful thought from my head. Luke was a choice, and I chose him.

But as I went to bed, my mother's words started to set themselves in my mind, and my choice made me feel less and less sure of what I chose.

 **Short chapter, I know. But it is my first chapter, and it was just the first chapter, so don't get your panties in a twist. I am making another chapter by Sunday if you guys give me two reviews. Tell me what you think! Also, this is a Percabeth fanfic, and I think that a certain green-eyed boy will be coming into the next chapter or so. So, give me your thoughts! Bye guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**What up my peeps? Haha, just kidding. As you all may have read it, I have another fan fiction that is in the making called In Love, so read it. Also, since I got two reviews, I am posting another chapter! And I would like three reviews this chapter, since I got two so soon! By the way, sorry about the late update. I know, you were thinking that I fell off the face of the Earth. I'm sorry. But since I posted now, you don't have to hate me anymore! So anyways, let's get this chapter started!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

My feelings for Luke were still unsettled in a jumbled up mess. I knew this was the kind of decision that I couldn't just make in ten seconds. It was something I was going to have to think about for the rest of the summer.

I know, it may seem like I am making a big deal about this, but I can't help it. Luke is my best friend. If I started dating him, things might get weird, or if we break up then we may not be able to go back to being good friends like we were before the relationship. I know, typical girl thoughts about boyfriends. The kind of problems that you see on television and in movies. My life was starting to feel like one, thanks to a sandy-haired, blue-eyed boy.

I looked at my alarm, of which I had woken up before. I was supposed to get up at 8, but I had gotten up at 7:30. I groaned. 8 o'clock was early enough, considering the pool didn't open until 11. I didn't have to be there until 10:00.

I got up anyways, despite the fact that I would have to find something to fill my time with. Like I told you, summer is _boring._

I pulled my hair back into a messy bun, a few of my curls sticking out of it. I laughed at the sight. I put on my red swimsuit, which I was supposed to wear as a lifeguard, obviously. I put my clothes over my swimsuit. I snatched a pair of sunglasses from my dresser and I put on my flip flops. I didn't really like flip flops and I preferred tennis shoes, but if someone was drowning I could just kick off my shoes and jump in. Also, I brought a towel, my extra clothes, and sunscreen.

I sat around, rereading a book I've already read. Sigh. Summer is devastating for those who practically live in the school library.

I checked my clock again after a while, this time it read 9:40. My eyes widened at the time. I grabbed my bag and left quickly, hoping I wouldn't be late.

I drove the way there in silence, with no music. It was going to take me ten minutes to get there, but I don't know how bad traffic was going to be. I hoped that it wasn't too bad.

Thankfully, my prayers were answered, thank the gods. I got there five minutes early, in fact.

I arrived at the pool gates, and I swiftly walked toward the pool entrance.

A girl with red-rust colored hair and green eyes greeted me at the entrance. "Hi, I'm Rachel. You must be working here, right?" She pointed to the red swimsuit strap that poked out from my shirt.

"Yeah, I work here. I'm Annabeth Chase." I held my hand out for her to shake it, and she obliged, shaking it enthusiastically.

Rachel's green eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yes, the new lifeguard. Well, I better get going. I usually would work here, but I'm going on vacation. I was just saying bye to my boyfriend." Her expression saddened. "See ya, Annabeth. It was nice meeting you." She waved to me and left.

I walked into the pool area, putting the clothes I was wearing in a bag.

I didn't see anyone yet, most likely because the pool hadn't opened. I dipped my feet into the side of the deep end. The water was cool and felt nice, and it was a nice day to go swimming. Suddenly I heard someone behind me. "Hey. You must be the new lifeguard."

I practically jumped ten feet. Unfortunately, that meant falling into the pool. I tried to touch the bottom, trying to pull myself up. I still couldn't see whoever had frightened me. "You scared me! Gods, don't do that," I scolded. I turned around to look at the person.

When I turned around, I thought I forgot my name. The boy had raven black hair, the color of obsidian or ink. His eyes were the color of the sea, or sea green. He had tan skin, and dark eyebrows. He had a blue shirt on the color of the swimming pool and blue swim trunks, too. I bit my lip, trying to keep my mouth from dropping.

"Gods, I'm sorry!" He didn't look very sorry, like he was trying not to laugh. His beautiful sea-green eyes glimpsed curiously at me, but I barely noticed when I saw his failed attempt at a concealed snicker. "Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm not, I'm not. Here, let me help you up." Percy held out his hand, but I refused it.

"Liar. And no, I'm fine. I've got it." But I didn't have it. The sides of the pull were slick, and I couldn't touch the bottom since it was twelve feet deep. Where were ladders when you need them?

"Are you sure about that? Because I don't think you do." He wasn't laughing anymore, but his smile was full of amusement.

I struggled against the pool, but it was a defeat. "Fine. Thank you," I said gruffly. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the pool, as if I weighed nothing. My hand tingled with an infuriating electricity. Gods was he handsome.

"Sorry about laughing at you," he muttered. I nodded, and gave him a weak attempt at a smile.

"Oh, yeah. What's your name?" he asked. I looked up at him, his sea-green eyes reflecting the morning sun.

"Annabeth," I replied. He looked like he was about to start laughing again. "What, are you going to laugh at my name, too?" I crossed my arms angrily. He shook his head.

"No, it's just that's a pretty name," he explained. I blushed, my cheeks feeling hot.

"My name's Percy. Percy Jackson," Percy said. I opened my mouth to talk, but before I could, Percy nudged me and pointed at the entrance.

"The other lifeguards are here. Wanna go see them, _Annabeth_?" He sounded my name out like a little kid trying to pronunciate a big word. A smile played on my lips as my name escaped his mouth. " _Stop it," I told myself._

He ran fast, but I ran faster. We stopped halfway to the entrance, him panting heavily. When I turned around to face him, he had his tongue stuck out at me, and when he noticed I was looking, he innocently whistled like he didn't do anything.

"What the-" I started to say. He shook his head.

"No foul language," he warned. I blushed furiously.

"I wasn't going to say anything bad, gods! Why did you stick your tongue out at me?" I asked.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you need glasses." I rolled my eyes.

He shoved past me. "Come on, we better go."

The black haired boy grabbed my hand and ran farther towards the pool entrance. A tingling sensation shot through my hand. I barely had time to react. I didn't know anything about this boy, and he was already making my head hurt.

At the pool entrance, several teenagers and a man with black hair stood under the awning. The man looked kind of familiar. It was when he looked at me that I realized who he reminded me of.

Percy's father turned to me, a big grin on his face that looked like Percy's. I barely knew Percy and I could already tell that they were related. Both of them had the same black hair, sea-green eyes, and big childish grin.

Percy's father reached out to shake my hand. "Hi, I'm Poseidon. You must be Annabeth." I nodded, taking his hand in a firm handshake. He grinned wider, his facial expression wild.

"Well, Annabeth, we were just going over the schedule. Here are the other lifeguards," Poseidon pointed to everyone. "And I see you've met Percy." He smirked as he looked over at his son. Percy glanced at me and waved. I gave him a strange look and rolled my eyes.

I knew all of the faces. Two of them were my best friends, Piper and Thalia. Luckily Luke wasn't a lifeguard, or I don't know if I could go to work everyday, with him talking and pressuring me to make a decision. Luke was persistent that way.

I knew the rest of kids, too. Leo Valdez, Jason Grace, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Piper McLean, Thalia Grace, and of course me. I hadn't know Percy, though. He didn't go to my school, and I had never seen him before today. Everyone else I knew from school.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Percy smirking. I knew him for an hour and suddenly we're best friends?

"All right. Since Rachel isn't here this year, Hazel, you've got the pool entrance. The rest of you know your spots. Alternate every half an hour," Poseidon announced.

I thought I saw Percy frown when he said Rachel's name. Maybe they were close friends.

I walked with Percy down to the pool. He kept watching me warily, as if I was about to yell at him again for laughing at me. "What?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing, nothing." I raised an eyebrow. "What, are you planning on pushing me into the pool again? Because I _will_ judo flip you." He laughed, then saw that I was serious and stopped. "No, please don't do that. I was just thinking, geez." He pretended to sigh and be mad, but I knew better. I could tell if people were really mad or not, by looking at facial expressions and analyzing their body language.

"Oh, you think?" He nudged me, rolled his eyes, and walked to his chair. People started to flood the place. Percy's chair was five feet adjacent to mine. He glared down at the pool deck, looking for kids that were running or drowning. I looked, blowing my whistle whenever I saw someone doing something wrong or something that could put them into potential danger. After a while, I started to get the hang of it.

We all blew our whistles after an hour, which meant we got a break. Everyone got out of the pool Percy and the others got their lunch, so I followed them. They all sat down at a few picnic tables right outside of the pool area.

I sat next to Piper, Thalia, and Jason. They were all eating and laughing, and Piper and Jason were flirting. I rolled my eyes as they stared at each other with goo-goo eyes. Thalia made a gagging gesture and I laughed so hard I choked on my water. Suddenly someone else plopped down next to me.

"Choking already?" Percy Jackson asked. My cheeks were as red as strawberries, partly from laughing so hard and partly because I was embarrassed. I calmed down a little bit as he sat down.

He put his lunch down on the picnic table. There was something _peculiar_ about his food. Strangely enough, it was blue. The sandwich, the chips, everything. Even the cookies were blue. "How did you-" I began, but he cut me off.

"Get all of this food blue? Someone told me that there was no such thing as blue food, so I proved him wrong," he replied.

I looked at him for a few seconds, then turned away. Thalia started talking. "Aww, Percy, are you all lonely since your girlfriend went on vacation?"

I perked up. Girlfriend? Who was his girlfriend?

That's when I remembered my earlier conversation. " _Well, I better get going. I usually would work here, but I'm going on vacation. I was just saying bye to my boyfriend."_

Rachel was his girlfriend.

For some reason, I was jealous, and disappointed that he had a girlfriend. " _Stop it, Luke asked you out."_ I bit my lip at my thoughts.

Percy knitted his eyebrows together. "No. I was just coming over here to sit with my favorite cousins. Is that so wrong?" Piper and Jason weren't even paying attention to the conversation. I snorted as Percy said that.

"Don't choke again, Annabeth. First you fall into the pool, then you almost choke. Twice, I might add," Percy snickered. He said it so seriously that you couldn't tell he was joking.

"I didn't _fall_ into the pool. It's your fault! You scared me!" I retorted defensively. "Then, you continued to laugh!"

"I didn't laugh! Well, maybe a little." He looked quite pleased with himself.

I snorted at that remark. "A little? That's an extreme understatement of what you did."

Percy opened his mouth to talk, probably another snide comment about how he didn't laugh, but Thalia stopped him. "I hate to interrupt your love fest over here, but we have to go guys." I don't know who's face was redder, mine or Percy's.

We walked there in silence, still embarrassed at Thalia's words, even if it was a joke.

We all got prepared to go back. I sat in my chair, stealing a few glances at Percy before everyone got back into the pool. " _Stop, you like Luke. Besides, he has a girlfriend."_ I shook the thought from my mind, shoving it in the nook and crannies of my brain.

We all blew our whistles and everyone charged in, splashing everybody around them. The water started to look more enticing every minute.

Percy seemed to agree with me. "I wish we could swim," he grumbled. I laughed. "I already took a swim, thank you very much!"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're still talking about that, are you?" I nodded.

Percy just shook his head, blowing his whistle at a kid running across the concrete.

I got home at seven, since the pool didn't close until six. I kept rubbing my arms like I had sunburn. "Stupid sun," I mumbled.

I layed down, exhausted from work. The day had continued with short breaks and blowing whistles. I doubt that it would get any more interesting than that.

Man was I wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**What up y'all? Sorry for the late update. I've been busy writing on my other fanfic, which I just updated yesterday. Please read it! By the way, I don't know if you read my author's note on the last chapter of my other fanfic, but if you did, then you would know that I can't handle updating every two or three days. Unfortunately, I might have to update one chapter a week, or something like that, maybe two weeks for one chapter. I have been beginning to make the chapters longer, and adding more POV's, so it's going to take longer to write them. Also, until further notice, I'm going to be writing in Annabeth's POV. I don't know how long this will last, maybe permanently, maybe temporarily. It all depends what's best in my opinion. I would like two reviews for the next chapter. Happy reading!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

I woke up right on time. Eight o'clock. I cringed, thinking of my sunburn. I needed to get some aloe gel on that or something, or in a few days my arms were going to be feeling a whole lot of hurt.

I hurried to get ready, stuffing everything in my bag, including my architecture book. My architecture book was the one book that I never got tired of reading. And trust me, I've read about everything at the school library, so it's kind of hard to find something good to read these days.

I didn't have to leave for another forty-five minutes, assuming I would get there right at 9:30. I should probably just change my alarm to something different, so I don't have to find something to do for about an hour. Add that to my to do list.

Bored, I watched two episodes of The Big Bang Theory, since I didn't have anything else to do. That would leave me with just enough time to get there at 9:30.

"It all started with a big bang, _bang!_ " I sang along. To other people this would've seemed stupid, but who cares?

I shinnied out the door, my dad and stepmom already gone to work, my brothers with the babysitter. That was good, otherwise the twins probably would have reset my alarm clock for a later time or pull some kind of prank to get me into trouble. Twins suck. **(A/N: Twins do not suck. In fact, I am a twin. So, just to clarify, twins don't suck. Sorry if I offended anyone.)**

I drove without any music, Thankfully the traffic wasn't bad, otherwise I wouldn't get there on time and I hated when my calculations were incorrect. Even if I got there at 9:31 I probably still would've been mad. I'm prideful that way.

I got there right at the time I had thought, thank my lucky stars. I sat down in my chair, reading my architecture book. There was a really interesting article about the Athena Parthenos when someone almost made me jump out of my skin.

Of course, the one person that had scared me would be the one who practically pushed me into the pool yesterday. Percy frickin' Jackson standing there in all of his glory.

"What are you doing?" I asked annoyed. Catch me watching television or doing my homework, I can talk to you for a minute. But if you try to talk to me while I'm _reading,_ bad decision. Probably not a good idea if it's an architecture book.

"Just saying hi, gods. Why did you lug that big book here? You know they have eBooks, right?"

I scrunched up my nose. Stupid eBooks, thinking they were all high and mighty because they were technologically superior. "And how is that better than breathing in the smell of a new book and flipping through the thick, glossy pages? eBooks are show-offs," I remarked.

He shrugged, those sea-green eyes glistening in the sunlight. "I wouldn't know if it's better. I hate reading," he stated.

I slammed my book shut. "How dare you? My life revolves around reading! You're speaking fighting words there, Seaweed Brain!"

His eyebrows knit together confused. "Seaweed Brain?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you're brain's full of seaweed, book-hater!"

He bit his lip in aggravation. "Than you're a, a Wise Girl!"

I snorted. "Wise Girl? That's hardly an insult."

Percy slammed his fist on the side of the chair. "Well, I'm not smart, Wise Girl. Obviously you are, you book-obsessor."

I blushed. I don't know why, I was used to be complimented about my intelligence. Why was this any different?

Then I looked up at his face and remembered how this was different.

"Percy, I'm sure you're smart. You shouldn't say that you're not. Everyone's smart in their own way," I explained.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Whatever, smarty pants." He went and sat down in the chair next to me and played Minecraft on his phone.

I mastered that game. Architect that I was, it was a fun game to play, since you build structures on it. Whenever I play you see me with a freaking castle or a Greek monument or something like that. From what I could tell Percy made a 4 by 4 dirt house.

"You should build something more sufficient if you're going to survive. That dirt house is the equivalent of living in a hole in the ground," I said. He snorted, obviously unimpressed. "Then you try it." He handed me his iPhone.

Percy, well, let's just say he doesn't have what it takes to be an architect. He can rule that out as his college major.

Inside the dirt house was a grassy floor, a few flowers planted, blue flowers, I might add, and a bed and a crafting table. In the corner was a chest full of wood and some quartz and a few other useful things. Luckily, that was all I needed.

Within fifteen minutes, I had erected an entire Greek temple complete with pillars and a saltwater spring in the center.

I gave Percy his phone back as he gaped at me in awe. "How did you do that?"

I shrugged. "It was simple, really. I just crafted some pillars and-"

"Never mind, I don't want to know. But this is amazing."

I grinned. "Not bad for a Wise Girl, huh?"

He laughed. "Nah, you just proved my point."

Everyone else was starting to show up now. Piper and Jason walked in together, talking. They never stopped flirting. I'm surprised that they aren't dating or anything. If they were, Piper would have told me by now. Right?

 **LINE BREAK**

The day was pretty uneventful, until the end of the day.

Percy and everyone else were swimming around, carefree. Everyone had left, except some of the employees. Thalia and Jason were taking turns jumping off the low dive, while Leo was too busy trying to drown Piper.

Percy beckoned me towards the high dive. "Come on, let's go on the high dive, Wise Girl. Or are you scared?"

My fierce grey eyes stiffened into a cold stare. "I'm not scared," I lied. But I was.

Last time I had gotten on a high dive, my idiot brothers thought it would be a great idea to push me in. It scared the heck out of me.

"Then jump off," Percy stated with a challenging smile.

I climbed up the many stairs shakily. I almost slipped a few times from the slick water that lingered on the steps, but I caught myself. My hands tightly gripped the metal sides. I continued to climb until I reached the top.

I felt more confident, looking at the solid, white board that I stood upon. I walked down to the edge of the dive. I was about to jump when I saw something that made me froze.

The black, ugly arachnid rested on the edge. My hands grasped the bars on the sides, my knuckles turning white. I was frozen in trepidation and horror.

I heard Percy scuffle around below. "Annabeth? What's wrong? Scared?" He came into view on my left, and saw my terrorized face. He frowned. "Annabeth?" he repeated.

"Help!" a small squeal emitted my mouth. Percy climbed up quickly to investigate. He ducked under me. Thalia and Jason didn't notice, and Leo and Piper were too busy choking on water to care.

"What is it?" he asked. I pointed at the deathly spider that sat on the edge of the diving board. Percy smirked as he flicked it off the side, onto the concrete.

I softened my grip a little bit, but not much. "I'm _terrified_ of spiders," I explained. Percy looked at the pained expression on my face and saw that I wasn't joking.

"It's okay, Wise Girl. They won't hurt you," he said, unclasping my hands from the metal grips. That irritating yet sweet sensation shot through my hands as he touched me.

Percy held his hand out. "Want to jump together?" I clasped his hand gratefully. That tingling adrenaline sparked between our interlocked fingers.

We jumped down together, crashing into the water below. Percy emerged with a big grin on his face. I realized that our hands were still clutched together.

I quickly released his hand, the adrenaline leaving my body. I grasped Percy's shoulders and pushed him underwater.

He came up after a few seconds, sputtering. I laughed at him as he emerged from the water. "What was that for?" he gasped.

" _That_ was for scaring me yesterday, _Seaweed Brain_ ," I teased mockingly.

A smirk creeped upon his lips. I realized too late what he was about to do. "Percy!"

He tackled me underwater, grabbing my waist. I knew this boy for two days and he was already trying to drown me. What the heck?

I couldn't breathe. Partially because Percy was holding me and partially because I was being suffocated in the water.

My lungs burned, needing air. I couldn't push up because we were in the deep end and Percy had a tight grasp on me so I couldn't swim up.

Finally Percy, that Seaweed Brain, swam towards the surface. I gasped for breath, my lungs sucking in the oxygen. "I'm going to kill you. You almost drowned me!" I smacked his shoulder. We were in close proximities, since he was still holding me with one arm.

"Ow," he commented. My eyes were dark and stormy. "Seaweed Brain," I muttered. Leo, Piper, Jason, and Thalia were looking at us now with curious eyes. Percy looked at his arm wrapped around my waist and released me embarrassed. "Sorry," he apologized. I rolled my eyes, but I was still angry. He has a girlfriend. He doesn't need to be grabbing my waist and trying to drown _me_.

But deep down I was glad.

 **Okay guys! Short chapter, but sweet, I know. Please, don't say that I'm moving too fast. I'm trying to do what feels natural and Annabeth and Percy were close and were kind of mean to each other in the first book almost immediately. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I would like to get at least two reviews this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Thank you for giving me the two comments I asked for. I appreciate it, but I hope to see more reviews in the future! Please! I want to know if you like this story, and if you don't, I might discontinue it, so keep reviewing it please! Also, read my other story, In Love, for more Percabeth! I am still keeping the POV Annabeth's, and this will be permanent, I think, because most stories only have one POV and I want to try something new. Here is Chapter 4 for you guys! Before I forget to tell you, this chapter takes place like two weeks later. So, it's like June 14th or something like that. 3 reviews for this chapter please!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

My morning was uneventful. Rather boring, in fact. I did what I have been doing the past few weeks. I got up, got ready, watched the Big Bang Theory, and got to work at 9:30. But when I got to the pool, I heard something I didn't expect.

I walked into the pool entrance and went inside the girl's locker rooms. By the pool area, I heard a voice. Well, two voices.

I hid behind the wall in the locker room so no one would see me. I'm usually not one for eavesdropping, but for some reason I stayed and listened to the current conversation.

"I love it here! Though I miss you, Percy," Rachel said. I heard Percy laugh. Apparently they were on Skype or FaceTime. I didn't dare look.

"Me too, Rach. Have you made any new friends?" I heard nervous laughter on the other end.

"Uh, yeah, one," she replied in a nervous tone. I frowned.

Percy replied, "I've made one too. Her name's Annabeth." I blushed so hard that I was lucky no one else saw me.

Rachel's end became silent. Then I heard her say, "Oh, replaced me already, have you?" I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"No, no one could replace you, Rachel. Annabeth's _just_ a friend, that's all," Percy answered.

My smile faded, though I don't know why. " _You don't need him. You could be happy with Luke,"_ I thought. I crammed the thought into the back of my brain.

She groaned. "I know, I know. And Annabeth's nice enough, I guess. I met her when I was leaving," she replied.

What the heck? Nice enough? I wasn't mean to her! Hello, rude! Somehow I stopped myself from stomping out there and telling her off.

"Hey, Annabeth's nice! Sometimes. A few weeks ago she tried to drown me! I got her back though. She is such a Wise Girl," Percy replied. Probably not the best choice of words on his part, considering the fact that it sounds like we're the ones dating.

I bit my lip, waiting for Rachel's response. He was such a Seaweed Brain. Maybe I should stop calling him that, now that Rachel knows that he calls me Wise Girl, and I don't think she's too happy about it.

"Wise Girl?" Rachel asked. Percy was going to get an earful from her.

"Yeah, I call her Wise Girl, and she calls me Seaweed Brain," he said. I grimaced as quietly as I could so neither of them would hear me.

"Sounds like you too are having a lot of fun," she said flatly. I rolled my eyes. She had been nice when I had met her, and eccentric, but this didn't sound like the Rachel I met. This version of Rachel sounded jealous and mean. She didn't sound like a loving girlfriend.

Percy was silent. "Well, that's okay. My friend is named Octavian, and he's sure a lot more fun than you!" Rachel continued. I heard the end call button beep and the call ended. Well, that's more than enough drama for one day.

I waited a few more minutes before walking into the pool area. Percy was sitting in his lifeguard chair, and he didn't look particularly happy.

"Hey Wise G-, I mean, Annabeth," he said. I frowned, upset that he was afraid to call me  
Wise Girl because of Rachel.

"Hey Seaweed Brain," I sat down next to him. I didn't want to tell him what I heard, but I felt that I should.

"Is this about Rachel?" I asked. Percy sat up straighter and glanced at me.

"Oh, you heard that?" Percy asked. He didn't sound angry, but more embarrassed. I nodded.

"Yeah, it was kind of hard not to. She sounded really agitated," I replied. I guess agitated sounded better than jealous or irritated, so why not?

"Agitated? You are such a Wise Girl," he replied. I smiled happily that he called me Wise Girl this time.

"Well, it sounded better than irritated or jealous," I said in my defense. He nodded agreeingly, his head drooping a little.

"Yeah, I guess it does. Obviously you're smarter than me. I was oblivious to what I told Rachel and how it would make her feel, and now she's mad," Percy grimaced.

I grinned at the compliment, but I felt bad for him. I mean, now he's stuck in a rut with his girlfriend, all because of me. And it sounded like she found a better _friend_ , too.

"And who the heck is Octavian?" Percy asked. I shrugged.

"She said it was her friend. But don't worry, I doubt that she meant what she said, about him being more fun than you," I replied. He was sure lots of fun to be around. " _And to look at," I thought._

That's it, I'm dead.

"You really think so?" Percy said. I nodded.

"Of course you are. Who else would let me insult them all the time and call them Seaweed Brain? Who else would let me nearly drown them and jump off the high dive with me because I saw a _spider_?" I asked. I said "spider" with so much disgust, yet I still wasn't satisfied.

"Yeah, I am pretty great," Percy joked. I hoped he was joking, anyways. He doesn't need to be any more arrogant than he already was.

"But not as great as me. You know, for building that awesome Greek temple for you instead of that awful dirt house you called a home," I pointed out. I snickered at his shocked face.

"I wouldn't use the term awful. It was cute and had blue flowers. And I defended you when Rachel said you were nice enough! But yes, you're greater than me," Percy replied. "For now," he muttered with an evil, crooked grin.

"Mwahaha, Seaweed Brain. Thanks for standing up for me though. And I know, I am a pretty great _friend,_ " I teased, remembering what he said.

He blushed. "Yes, you are. That's why I told Rachel that. Also so she wouldn't be jealous. And we're not just friends. We're best friends," he reminded me. I snorted.

"Yeah, because best friends try to kill each other, I'm sure. And why would she be jealous of me?" I asked.

"Well, because I call you Wise Girl, for one thing, because you're beautiful, she can't see me the entire summer and you can, and I guess because we're good friends," he said. "Also because you're a girl that isn't her," he continued.

I blushed hard. He called me beautiful. My grey eyes turned and looked at the pool instead of him. I bit my lip and stopped talking.

Percy nudged me, but I didn't look back at him. "What? No snide remark? Come on, Wise Girl," he said, gazing at me.

I glimpsed over at him, and of course he had that stupid, crooked smirk that made my heart flutter. I wish it wouldn't do that. " _Luke," I reminded myself. "Besides, he has a girlfriend,"_ _I told myself._

Percy still had that smirk plastered on his face. I just wanted to smack it off his lips.

"Do you want to be judo flipped?" I questioned him. He was going to get what was coming to him if he didn't stop grinning like a goofball.

His smile drooped almost immediately. "No, ma'am," I laughed at him.

"Idiot," I muttered. He was so cute yet so stupid. " _Stop,"_ _I thought._

We continued to talk like that, until of course everyone else showed up. I was kind of disappointed when my other friends came and interrupted us. I wonder why.

* * *

The day passed quietly, strangely enough. It wasn't that busy and I didn't really have to do anything. I blew my whistle twice at a kid who wouldn't stop getting on the small dive when someone else was already on it. I was like, "Kid, take a hint," but I didn't say that of course. I'm not as mean as Rachel must think I am.

I didn't even get that whole deal. I was nicer to her more than I am to most people. All of a sudden, I'm nice enough? That made my blood boil, and it wasn't even an insult, really. It's just that she had been talking about me like that to Percy and that she had been talking behind my back.

Ugh, I know, petty girl stuff. I know, I hate myself for thinking such things. I think I'm going mental. Thank you Percy. His idiocy was rubbing off on me.

Well, anyways, the day _was_ quiet. I know, you see the italics on was and think, "Oh great, something happened after work." You are completely right. Something did happen.

My car was what happened. Well, one of the things that happened. I tried to start it, but it wouldn't work. I realized that I had forgotten to turn off the radio and air conditioning, which probably made my car battery die. Unfortunately, I didn't have any jumper cables with me. So of course I was thinking, "I'm screwed." That was until a certain sea-green eyed strolled up next to my open car door.

"What's wrong, Wise Girl?" He asked. Thankfully he wasn't joking or I would've flipped out on him.

I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. "My stupid car battery died and I can't go home," I explained. He nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you home," he said, grabbing my hand. Percy lead me to his car. Strangely enough, he had a sleek, red Maserati. You probably would've thought that it would be blue, but nope, it wasn't.

"Thanks, Seaweed Brain," I told him. He smiled at me, a real genuine smile, though it was still crooked. That was just the way I liked it. " _Please shut up," I told myself._ I was spending _way_ too much time with Piper.

I sat in the passenger's seat. I was so close to Percy that we were almost touching elbows. I could smell chlorine and saltwater, with a hint of something else that I couldn't determine. It smelled good. Really good.

Someone call 911. I'm going insane.

I told him the directions to my house. He nodded, his dark hair bobbing up and down.

It was silent for a few moments, but of course, that Seaweed Brain had to say something. "I'm the better friend now," Percy snickered. I snorted.

"Get over yourself, Seaweed Brain," I retorted. Even though he was right, I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction. He didn't seem to care.

"I'm better than you!" he shouted. "No, you're not," I countered.

"Am too!"

"It's I am too, not am too, Percy,"

"Am too!"

"Nope."

"Am t-" I arched my eyebrows at him and he shut his mouth.

I smiled, feeling smug. "That's what I thought," I muttered.

Suddenly, lightning streaked the sky. We were so busy arguing we hadn't even noticed that the clouds were a stormy grey.

Rain sprinkled the windshield. At first it was a slight shower, then a downpour. Percy had to squint to see where he was going. The windshield wipers didn't help much. For a few moments I thought that we might autopilot.

Finally, Percy pulled into a driveway that wasn't mine, but at this point I didn't care. "Where are we?" I asked hastily. Lightning flashed and thunder bellowed. Percy grabbed the hood behind my jacket and pulled it over my long, golden curls. "My house," he replied.

I opened my mouth and closed it. I didn't know what to say. Percy ran outside and opened the passenger door for me, and grabbed my hand. Together we ran outside, our hands wrapped around each other, and despite the cold, I felt warm. Warmer than I had felt in a long time.

 **Next chapter, I will tell what happens at Percy's house. Tell me what you think of this chapter. And 3 reviews, I guess? Not really a good chapter. But things are starting to heat up in the Percy, Annabeth, Rachel love triangle. Sorry about Rachel being OOC. Will fix her later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for such a late update, guys! I've been busy. I mean, really busy. I haven't had the motivation to write lately, and I'm so stressed out all the time…. It's getting worse than it was last time. Not only to mention the drama that has filled my life for the past month. But, never mind about that. You guys are here to read the story, not the boring, long author's note about my life. So, here it is, everyone, and I hope that you like it a lot!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

Percy pulled me through the door. The fragrance of warm cookies flooded my sense of smell. I smiled almost instantly as I looked around. Percy's house was homey and warm. He led me through what I guess was the living room and then we peered around the corner to find a pretty woman in the kitchen cooling cookies on a rack. Something that I had gotten used to in the past few weeks is the amount of blue involved in Percy's life. That included the blue cookies that sat on the rack before me.

"Who's this?" the woman I assumed to be Percy's mom asked me. She smiled at me warmly, her smile as sweet as her cookies looked.

"I'm Annabeth, Percy's friend," I replied. She grinned.

"So I see," she said, gesturing to our intertwined hands. Biting my lip, I pulled my hand back from Percy's.

Percy's mom turned around, pulling another batch of blue cookies out from the oven. "I've heard all about you. I'm Sally," she told me.

"Mom!" Percy protested. I laughed.

"What has he said about me?" I asked, goading Percy. Sally smirked in a teasing way.

"Well, he told me that you're deathly scared of spiders," Sally started as I shot a glare at Percy, who was smiling sheepishly. "Also, he told me that you were really smart and told me how good of a friend you are-"

"Okay, we're going to my room. Bye!" Percy shouted behind her. Sally waved at me and smiled, then looked at him scoldingly as he swiped a few cookies off the counter.

I would tell you about Percy's room, but my senses overloaded from all of the blue. Blue comforter, blue walls, blue chair, blue rug. Percy's personality definitely shined into his room, that's for sure.

"You should dye yourself blue. I'm sure the Avatar thing would look nice on you," I said, biting back a snicker.

"Nah, I'd just look like someone from the Capitol," Percy replied, smirking. He sat down on his blue bed and patted the spot next to him. Awkwardly, (isn't everything awkward) I sat down next to him, taking in the blueness of everything. (I'm not sure "blueness" is a word, but who cares?)

Suddenly my phone made a dinging noise. I glanced at the screen, Percy peering over my shoulder. "Who's Luke?" he asked, frowning.

"My friend," I answered, blushing profusely. Percy grinned, but it wasn't genuine. It seemed, how do I put this, forced. I'm not exactly sure why. And I'm usually the one with the answers.

"Oh, do you have a crush?" Percy teased forcedly.

"Most definitely not," I exclaimed. Percy didn't seemed convinced.

"If you say so. What does the text say anyways?" he questioned. I shrugged and checked.

" _So, have you decided anything yet? I haven't talked to you since the end of school. I miss you so much, Annie!"_

"What is he talking about? And why did he call you Annie?" Percy scoffed.

"I don't appreciate the nickname either. And it's nothing. Maybe I should go…," I said, glancing at the blue trimmed window. The rain was just getting worse. Stupid weather wouldn't cooperate when I needed it to.

"Oh no you don't. It's pouring down rain. Besides, you don't have your car and it's too dangerous to drive right now," Percy pointed out. I was defeated.

"Fine. But if you're going to ask about my love life, you can at least tell me about Rachel."

Percy smiled widely. "But I already did, earlier today. Why don't you just tell me who Luke is? We're friends, right?"

I glared at him. "Why do you care so much? He's just my friend!"

"I care because you're _my_ friend. But if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't press you," Percy replied.

I sighed. I hadn't told anyone about my problem with Luke. I still don't know why I decided to tell Percy. Percy Jackson of all people. But I did. "Here's the short version. Luke has been my best friend since the eighth grade, and I've had a crush on him ever since. He asked me out at the end of the school year, and for some reason, I didn't tell him yes. I told him I'd think about it. And that was what he was asking about. Okay?"

Percy did a double take. "So you do have a crush on this Luke guy?"

"Maybe…," I said, trailing off into thought. I wasn't comfortable with confrontations.

"Oh." That's all he said. I'm not sure why _he_ seemed upset. This was my problem, not his.

"Oh, Seaweed Brain, don't get all depressed on me now," I said, despite my own mood.

Percy looked at me. "I'm not depressed." What a liar.

"Sure, sure. Just look at that frown on your face." **(A/N: Right now I'm trying really hard to not make them kiss. This is killing me already. But I promised myself that I'm not going to move too fast on this fic. I think it's too late. But I know you guys love the fluff, so...)** I took the corners of his lips and pulled them up with my fingers, my weak attempt to make him at least look like he was smiling.

Percy did smile for real when I pulled my fingers away from his face. "Oh Wise Girl, what would I do without you?"

For a second, I just stared at him intensely. It was strangely intimate for a guy that I'm just friends with. I mean, we're just friends, right? Right?

I looked down, trying to shake off the stare, and laughed. "You'd have a crappy Minecraft house, that's for sure."

Percy chuckled and Sally walked in the room, smiling as usual. "Hey kids, the rain's gone."

She was right. I looked out the window and sure enough, the sky had come to a dull, cloudy grey and the rain had subsided completely.

"We should probably go before the rain comes back," Percy said, standing up. I stood up with him, sad to go, strangely enough.

As we were walking out the door, Sally handed me a glass plate covered in aluminum foil. "Take these home, Annabeth." I smiled at her and said thanks.

Percy and I drove back to my house in silence, besides when I told him the directions. It wasn't uncomfortable, the silence. I'm used to being alone when I read so this wasn't much different. It's good that I don't feel like I have to keep up a conversation with Percy to be comfortable with him. I guess just his presence was enough for me.

Percy dropped me off, smirking at me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Wise Girl."

"Ditto, Seaweed Brain," I replied, a tinge of sarcasm in my response. He smirked and drove off. I walked up to my already open door, where Susan was waiting on the doorstep.

"Who was _that_?" she asked grudgingly. I rolled my eyes.

"Just a friend. What's it matter to you?" I asked seething. She shrugged.

"Nothing. It's just that I haven't seen a boy around here in a while besides Luke, and he hasn't been here since the start of summer vacation. Replace your boyfriend so soon?"

"He's not my boyfriend. And wouldn't you like to know. You'd be the last person I'd tell if I was dating someone," I grumbled, stomping up to my room. Hey, I said I was nice to her when my dad was around. I never said I was when he was gone, now did I?

I ran up the stairs before I could hear her snide comment. I put down the cookies that Sally had given to me in the kitchen, where I hid them in this cookie jar that I got that has a combination on it. Otherwise my brothers and dad would just eat all of the cookies and Susan would just pretend not to see them. I got ready for bed, my hair wet and tangled from my shower. I smiled, recapping my entire day. _Maybe I will finally have a good summer, I thought. Percy sure makes things interesting._

I got in my bed, the pillows smelling like lemon shampoo and my blanket warm. I was hooking my phone up to my charger when a text appeared on my phone. Luke, again. This time it read: " _So, Annie, how's it been? Too busy to text me back, apparently."_

I huffed. I texted him back with quick fingers. " _Call me Annie one more time and I might just be too busy to talk to you ever again."_

Quickly, I tried to put my phone on the charger and ignore my phone, but it didn't work. I kind of felt guilty for not texting him back, especially since he asked me out and I don't even know what we are anymore.

I checked my phone again. " _Take a joke, geez, Annie. So, have you thought about anything in particular over the break?"_

I sighed. I did tell you he was persistent, didn't I? I typed back quickly. " _Don't call me Annie. And it's been two weeks. You know how it overwhelms me when you're persistent. I'll tell you when I know, okay?"_

Another ding went off. " _I'm sorry. Do I have the wrong number? I believe I'm talking to Elsa because that's just cold."_

I answered quickly, put my phone on silent, and slammed it down on the table. I had told him, " _And I believe that I'm talking to a three year old because this is getting really immature if you're going to mention Frozen. I've got to go to bed. I'll talk to you when I know, okay? Just let me get things figured out. Good night, Luke."_

I turned off the lamp and closed my eyes, imagining today's conversation with Percy. I smiled just thinking about him.

And it was almost too easy to forget the vibrating from my phone.

 **Short chapter. I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've had way too many exams and I know that it's just an excuse, but that is the truth, unfortunately. I'll try to update more often. So, please review and all that and please, if you have any suggestions, feel free to review or PM me. Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! I'm finally back from my hiatus! Swim season was great, by the way. Sorry for that last little cliffhanger. Hehe, not. Anyways, here is chapter 6 and I will try to update as much as possible because at this rate, I have updated about once a month and this fanfiction is much longer than that so I'll try to update two, maybe three times a month? I don't know...I'm an unreliable narrator so don't count on that. I am a bit of a procrastinator like a certain Dan Howell. So...here it is. Please follow this story and hope you enjoy it! Feel free to check out my other stories, such as In Love, What a Goode Year, and A Secret Buried Deep, which is my Divergent-Percy Jackson crossover. Thank you, loyal readers!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

It was Sunday, my day off. I had no idea what to do with my day. That's the problem with summer: you don't have a weekend to look forward to because everyday's the weekend. The only time that I had actually ever enjoyed my summers was when I was at Camp Half-Blood. And I hadn't been there as much as I used to ever since I turned twelve. I used to be there year round, but after that it was just the summers. And not even that now.

I decided to go to the mall. Not for clothes shopping, but to go to the bookstore. I decided to do something productive with my day and get a new book, even though sleeping in sure did sound good.

My car was running again, luckily, after jump starting it, and my car battery was working properly. Percy had helped me with it, even though I already knew the mechanics of how to jumpstart a car. He was probably just being a typical boy and showing off.

I drove to the mall, turning right and left when necessary, and I contemplated about my summer vacation. It hadn't gone that bad...so far. The only reason why is Percy, and while I wouldn't admit it, he was the real difference my summer had gone from boring to exciting.

I walked towards the mall, which stretched out vastly. How many clothing stores did one girl need to visit?

I strolled past the automatic doors and searched for the nearest Barnes and Noble, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Curse the person who made the bookstore so hard to find.

My feet carried me in many directions. But neither of them, unfortunately, took me in the direction of the bookstore. I ended up asking someone for directions, stopping to ask the nearest person in sight.

"Excuse me, do you know where the bookstore is?" I asked. I was shocked when I realized who I had asked.

"Annie, I never took you for the kind of person to ask for directions," Luke smirked. My stomach twisted.

"Don't call me Annie. And I never took you for the kind of person to hang out at the mall," I retorted back.

He shrugged. "Is that all you have to say for yourself? I haven't seen you the entire summer!" Luke picked me and whirled me around in a circle.

"Put me down!" I shrieked, which got a few looks from bystanders.

"All right, calm down, Annabeth," Luke replied, setting me back down on the ground. "Someone's hostile today."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe I don't appreciate people picking me up like I'm a toy." I crossed my arms. Luke stared at me.

"I missed you," he admitted. Had I missed Luke? I hadn't thought about him much in the past few weeks.

"I missed you, too," I replied.

Behind me I heard another voice, one all too familiar to me in the past couple of weeks. I had heard it sad, happy, sarcastic, and now, jealous. "So Annabeth, this must be Luke," Percy said.

I released Luke from my embrace. "What are the chances that I would find both of you here today?" I replied, standing in between the two. I glanced between the two of them, Luke with his sandy blonde hair and blue eyes and Percy with his silky black strands and sea-green irises.

"Who is this?" Luke questioned, completely ignoring my question. "And how does he know my name?"

I shifted uncomfortably where I was standing. "Luke, this is Percy, a friend of mine."

Luke scoffed, "Since when?"

Percy glowered where he was standing. "Since a couple of weeks ago."

Luke glared at Percy, then softly down at me. I crossed my arms angrily,

"Both of you calm down. Why are you both looking at each other like that?" I questioned, but I already knew the answer. Typical boys.

Luke backed up a step from Percy and put his arm around me. "I'll see you later, Annie, all right? Don't be a stranger." He kissed my cheek and walked off. Butterflies kept my stomach unsettled.

Percy watched Luke as he stalked off, then when he saw he was gone, turned to me, smirking that sadistic, crooked grin. "We should probably sanitize your face. It has Luke germs all over it."

I elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh, quiet, you. What are you doing here, anyways?"

"I could ask the same of you," Percy replied snarkily, starting to walk. I followed him. That's when I realized that I _still_ didn't know where the bookstore was.

I sighed, frustrated. "I came here to go to the bookstore. Do you know where it is?"

Percy nodded, turning a corner. "Yeah, actually I do."

I was shocked. "Really? I didn't expect you to know."

Percy's eyebrows furrowed, meeting in the middle. "Why do you say that?"

I shrugged. "You said that you hate reading and books, so I didn't think you would. But it was worth a shot. I've been here for a half an hour and I haven't been able to find it. That's how I found Luke."

I thought I saw his eyes narrow a little bit, but when I glanced at him again any sign of it was gone. "Well, I know where it is because Rachel likes to come here sometimes. The bookstore is right next to the art store, and she loves to paint."

I fiddled with my fingers. "So she's an artist?"

Percy smiled. "Yeah, she is. And she's really good, too."

"What does she like to paint?" I asked out of vague curiosity.

He shrugged. "Anything really. The sunrise, people, random places in New York. She just paints whatever inspires her."

"Do you miss her?" I blurted out.

Percy glanced at me with a weird expression on his face. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. I guess I message her and video chat with her so much I don't need to."

I didn't respond to him until we got to the bookstore. "I missed Luke, but that's because I haven't talked to him at all this summer."

"I thought you guys texted the other day," Percy suggested with a slight frown.

"We did, but that's all I've talked to him this summer."

He shrugged in response. I walked in the bookstore, him following me.

"You don't have to come in if you don't want to, Percy."

Percy half-smiled. "Now what kind of gentleman would I be then, Wise Girl?"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, fine. But you'll have to keep up. It's a big store."

He nodded. We walked around, sections upon sections of books. I was silent for most of the time, flipping through the pages of an interesting book I found, until Percy decided to break the ice.

"Do tell, Wise Girl," he started, "what was that little scene with Luke I stumbled upon?"

I looked up at him, a smirk already on his lips. "You already know. You were there, weren't you?"

"Yes, for that last bit, but I saw him pick you up and you screamed at him to put you down."

I glared at him. "I did not scream."

He put his hands up in surrender. "Well, you _demanded_ him to put you down."

I placed my hands on my hips. "So? What's your point?"

Percy smiled. "I thought you liked Luke. Why didn't you want him to pick you up?"

I put the book back on the towering shelf. "I don't like being touched."

"I touch you all the time. You don't seem to mind then," Percy pointed out.

"What are you getting at, Seaweed Brain?" I asked exasperated.

"Just wondering. And you keep dodging the question," he replied.

I sighed. "I don't mind when you touch me because...I don't even know. Maybe because I know it doesn't mean anything and Luke...well, it might. I don't know...," I stuttered.

"You're cute when you stutter," Percy smiled. Butterflies divulged in my stomach.

I played the compliment off nonchalantly, shaking my head. "Stupid Seaweed Brain," I muttered, taking my books to the check-out counter.

 **LINE BREAK**

I layed in my bed, hugging my Valentine's Day bear to my chest, a present I received a few years back. **(A/N: I know the Valentine's Day bear thing is kind of random, but it's a small detail that I put in here for a good friend of mine. You know who you are! ;))** Today's events unfurled in my mind. I tried to shake them away but I couldn't. Even when I tried to sleep, the words "Percy Jackson" flashed in my mind, echoing throughout my head. Everytime I closed my eyes, memories over the past couple weeks would flood in my mind, Percy smirking at me in many of them. My heart leapt at every glance of him in these strange dreams. I didn't know what my feelings meant, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. Maybe this is what friends feel for other friends. But deep, deep down, I knew what Percy and I had was much deeper than friendship, and it wasn't much later until I found it. Little did I know by then, it would be too late.


	7. Chapter 7

**Annabeth Chase's POV:**

A few days passed after the bookstore incident. In this time period, I managed to work at the pool and irritate Percy all at once. I could see we were getting closer, and I wasn't sure how to feel about this new bond between us.

A VBS **(A/N: Vacation Bible School)** at our local church kept me busy the next week. It started at six, which is an hour away from the time the pool closes, so I barely had time to do anything for myself. I was in charge of the younger kids, like Matthew and Bobby, who thought they could get special treatment just because their big sister was in charge of them. Ah, children.

What I didn't expect was to see someone else I knew there.

"Hey, Annabeth," a voice from behind me said. I turned around to meet the glorious face of Percy Jackson, his beaming smile creeping up on his lips.

"Hey, Percy, what are you doing here?" I replied, startled, but still happy he was there. Some of the younger kids started making "ooh" noises.

"I'm helping out here after work, same as you, Wise Girl." His sea green eyes glinted with amusement.

Percy and I just stared at each other for a moment, before I heard Bobby ask, "Are you guys gonna talk or just stand there and drool over each other?"

The rest of the kids practically bawled from laughing so hard. I led the kids toward their next station, saying goodbye to Percy. "I'll see you later, Percy, after these guys maul me to death."

Percy waved goodbye and headed towards the stage, while I left out the church door and led the kids to their next station.

An hour or so later, after the kids were finished with their stations and worn down, I came back inside the church and found Percy already waiting for me. I smiled at him as I walked in, the kids sitting down in a pew nearby.

"So, are you stalking me or are you actually here by coincidence?" I questioned him. It was a little strange that I saw him at the bookstore and I just now happened to see him at VBS. Percy's eyes shifted mysteriously.

"I can't go giving all of my secrets away, Wise Girl." He winked at me.

"So you've been stalking me." I laughed. Percy shrugged in response.

"Not exactly. Piper told me you two were helping out here after work and I heard they needed help in the theatre," he replied, gesturing to the stage. I grinned.

"You're an actor?" That didn't really surprise me. Percy was a pretty good liar when he wanted to be.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that small detail about myself?" Percy smirked. I nodded.

"Yeah, pretty sure I don't remember you telling me that, Seaweed Brain. Does Rachel even know you act?" I regretted bringing Rachel up immediately.

Percy's smile disappeared from his face. "Yeah, it's actually how we met." I pursed my lips, debating whether to push him to tell the story.

"How was that?" I asked. He shrugged again.

"Rachel had an art show the same night as my school play, when I had started going to Goode High. She went there but we'd never talked. She had walked into the wrong room, and found me performing instead. She missed her art show watching because she thought I was so good. I guess it was just a coincidence. Then she started working summers at the pool so we became closer and now we're dating."

I breathed. "It doesn't sound like a coincidence to me. It's like it was fate."

"No, I don't think that happened for a reason. I think some things do, but that was a coincidence. Fate to me is something life changing, and in that moment you know how important that person will be in your life."

I bit the side of my cheek, almost not daring to ask. "Have you ever had a fateful moment?"

Percy turned to me and smiled gently. "Yeah, the moment-"

"Annabeth!" I turned to see Susan, my step-mother, call for me. I groaned. "I've got to go, Seaweed Brain." I frowned, not wanting to leave just yet.

"Goodbye, Wise Girl," Percy said sadly. For an actor, he sure couldn't hide his disappointment.

I looked back at Susan one more time, then looked back at Percy. "Hey Percy, do you have a phone?"

His smile, the one I loved so much, returned. "Yeah. Do you want my number?" I nodded.

He took an iPhone out of his pocket and unlocked it, handing it to me. I did the same to him, and evidently had his contact information.

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed loudly at his picture. Seeing me laugh, he snapped one of me and put that as my contact picture.

I grabbed his phone, looking at the picture of me. My mouth was wide open from laughing and my hair was in a rushed ponytail. "You took the worst possible picture of me," I complained as he got his phone back from my grasp.

"I think you look beautiful," Percy responded, and from the way he looked into my eyes, I could tell he truly believed it.

"Annabeth, come on!" Susan whined. I had to take her and the boys home since her car was being repaired and Dad had dropped them off.

"Fine," I grumbled, walking towards her. "Goodbye, Percy."

"I-," he started to say something and then stopped himself. "Bye, Beth."

I smiled at the new nickname and walked away, my emotions swirled up into a big mess.

 **LINE BREAK**

It was the last day of VBS when it happened.

I was going to help out with the other kids but none of them had showed up except Matthew and Bobby. I had been prepared to take care of them but Susan told me she would. Which meant that Percy had something in mind for the pair of us.

I didn't get to see Percy perform in the theatre, unfortunately. The little skits would start at the beginning, when I would take all of the younger kids to arts and crafts. They were much too young to sit still that long. Since I didn't have to be a group leader that day, I got to hang out with Percy and Piper behind the stage.

"Annabeth!" Piper called to me after a half an hour of sitting backstage eating pizza waffles with Percy, who had gone into a dressing room for some reason. **(A/N: There Katherine I even put your pizza waffles in there. You potato.)** I looked over at her to Piper, who was holding a dark blue dress with silvery designs on it and a tiara to go with it. It was beautiful. But I wonder what she wanted with it…

"Try this on, for me, please!" Piper squealed. I knew she wasn't big into fashion and stuff but sometimes she liked to dress everyone else up. I sighed, knowing that this was a lost battle and I would end up wearing the dress whether she forced me into it or I chose to.

I put on the dress and the tiara, not brave enough to check my reflection in the mirror. I walked backstage to where I found Percy, dressed in a prince's outfit. He looked amazing in his costume. For some reason his eyes enlarged when he saw me in the dress.

"What? Is it not my look?" I teased him, fixing my crooked tiara. He shook his head in disagreement.

"That's definitely not it!" Percy said shocked. He turned to Piper, praising her on her skills. "Piper, you're an artist! Our outfits even go together."

"What am I to you?" I wondered out loud. Percy stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me.

"What do you mean what are you to me?" Percy asked.

I bit my lip. "If Piper's an artist, what am I to you?" I don't know how I managed to get the words out of my mouth without trembling.

Percy stared at me, then a smile formed on his lips. "What are you to me?" I nodded. "To me, you're a princess." **(A/N: This is from Girl Meets World. Disclaimer: I don't own this quote, I just really love it.)**

He twirled me around and I felt a connection where our hands touched. I felt like a real princess for once in my life, and Luke had never made me feel this way, not once. At that moment I began to really question my feelings for Luke. Even though this wasn't a moment that would last forever, I knew it was one I would remember forever.

Piper got us both to stand still. "Pose together!" She snapped a picture of us right after Percy wrapped his arm around me. As Piper left the room to go find someone to show the picture to, I tried to move away but he put his arm on the other side of me and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him in return, taking in his scent. He smelled like salt water and chlorine, as well as cookies and Axe. It smelled so good.

After we cleaned up the backstage from our pizza waffle fest, I sat down on a really short bench, my legs barely fitting on the whole thing. Percy came in front of me. "Move or I'll sit on you," he demanded. I moved over, lifting my legs up so he could sit down, then I put my legs back on top of his lap.

"What, is all I'm good for is being a leg rest?" Percy smirked. I snorted.

"No, Percy, you're good for a lot of things." _Like my eyes._

"Why thank you. What a compliment I've been given." I blushed, embarrassed that I had said that out loud.

"Oops." I laughed nervously. Percy smiled, then started poking me in the sides.

"Per-Per-Percy stop!" I cried out, laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

"Never, Wise Girl!" He retorted, taking my tiara from my head. I grabbed for it, tackling him on the floor.

"Seaweed Brain!" I shouted, reaching for the tiara. I didn't even notice our awkward position, me being on top of him. He grabbed my hands and flipped me on my back instead, him being on top of me. I looked up at him, looking into his sea-green eyes. He laced his fingers with mine, my hands pinned to the floor by his. He leaned down and placed the tiara back on my head, the tines on the side sticking into my curly hair, and for a moment, I thought he might kiss me. I glanced at his lips.

 _This is so wrong._

But it seemed so right.

 _He has a girlfriend. Snap out of it._

I didn't snap out of it until my eyes fluttered shut and his lips were only inches away.

Piper walked back into the room, and lucky thing she did. Percy and I sat up, embarrassed.

"Oh my gods, what happened?" Piper questioned, her eyes wide open.

"Oh, um, nothing, I'm sorry...I have to go…," Percy said. He ran back to his changing room, clearly embarrassed to be found with me, especially when he has a girlfriend!

"Percy!" I cried, my eyes tearing up. He didn't look back at me.

I tore off my tiara and ran to the dressing room, hurriedly changing back into my own clothes. Thankfully, Susan's car had been repaired on Wednesday, and I could drive home myself, without her seeing my tears.

As I walked away, Piper grasped my arm. "Annabeth! We need to talk."

"About what?" I questioned, holding back the tears. I would _not_ cry in front of Piper.

"I know that you and Percy are close...but maybe you guys should wait until after Rachel and Percy break up to start making out all over the place?"

I bit my lip. "We weren't making out. I was just caught up in the moment is all."

Piper raised her eyebrows in response. "So, you're denying that you have a deeper connection with Percy than being friends?"

"Uh-uh-I don't know…," I stammered. But I did know. I knew well enough that what we had was not a regular friendship. I wasn't sure of my feelings, even though they were staring me right in the face.

"Annabeth, just know that I can tell he likes you, and the reason he ran away like that was not because he didn't like you. It was because he was afraid of his feelings for you."

I blinked back tears. "Thank you, Piper, but you don't know that for sure. The only way I could believe that is if he told me that himself."

Piper nodded and gave me a hug. "You're welcome. And if you ever need to talk, you have my number."

I smiled weakly and got into my car, my heart swirling with confusing feelings that no one could untangle, not even me.

 **So, what did you think? Do you like this chapter and my last one? What was Percy going to say? Comment your thoughts below. Thanks for reading! Ha, and you all thought I was going to make them kiss in chapter 7. Just you wait. Five reviews, please, and thank Katherine for this chapter because it was really her idea. Happy birthday!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Here is chapter 8. I am trying to update regularly, which means about once or twice a week. Thanks to Katherine, I might not procrastinate so much. So thank Katherine for extra chapters! Okay, I'm going to do your shoutouts now and then we can get this chapter started. Thank you for the whopping 12 reviews! I think that's the most I have ever had on a chapter of this fanfic. The most I have ever gotten on a chapter of fanfiction ever was on In Love, and that got 14 reviews, so thank you all! I hope you guys like this story as much as I like writing it, otherwise I wouldn't update so often. Anyways, happy April Fools Day! Enjoy this chapter, though, and I know I always say this, you will probably kill me. Remember, five reviews please.**

 _MAL-DaughterofChaos: keep going_

Thank you. I will try!

 _Disclaimer:_ _KEEP MAKING MORE CHAPTERS PLEASE! :) :) :)_

I will try to! :) Thanks for the extra smilies, you're awesome! I don't deserve such smilies.

 _Galaxy Drifter: This story is so great I can't wait to read the next chapter! I love this story so much!_

Aw, thanks, I am so glad that you like it! It makes me happy that people really do enjoy reading this.

 _Guest: OH MY GOSH! You quoted Girl Meets World! And the quote was from my OTP! You don't know how excited I was when I read saw it in the chapter!_

YESSS! YOU SHIP RUCAS? You have officially made my senpai shelf, congratulations. Yes, Rucas is OTP FOREVAH! I was just as excited typing it, and I was hoping to find a fellow GMW lover! Thanks so much for your review. You are so awesome!

 _Lovethisstory: OMG I've been looking for a good story for a while... and I think I just found it! I really like this. Please update soon!_

 _plus can rachael and percy get in a really big fight? or like percy facetimes her and sees her making out with octavian in her room or wherever she is. or something really tragic should happen to annabeth or somethin_

 _i know ill like whatever u write next tho_

 _Thanks!_

 _Ps. honestly i kinda just gave up on typing properly_

You are so freakin' nice. *hails senpai* I've been thinking of something big that could possibly happen and the Rachel and Octavian thing is something I am planning on...but in what way I'm not sure yet. Same, I have given up as well. :)

 _Greekgodsrox:_ _OMG THIS IS A GREAT STORY!_

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it! ;)

 _applepigs:_ _OML I LOOOOOOOVE THIS STORY pls continue writing it! im an absolute bookworm, and i could get really caught up, but only in the best stories, and this is one of them!_

Thanks, that is so nice of you to say! I am so glad you love it! Reviews like yours make me want to keep writing and updating quicker, so thank you!

 _SeaweedOwlBrain:_ _I love it, I love it, I love it! Oh my gods, they were so close to kissing! Next chapter!_

I'm glad you love it! :):):) I know, I am so sorry. It took everything I had not to make their lips move together a few more inches. :(

 _Guest: Well that's NOT how it happened!_

 _But THANKYOU!_

I'm sorry, Katherine. I had to make some adjustments. Sorry potato! And you're welcome! :)

 _Blake Jackson: Thank you Katherine. This chapter was awesome I guess if they kissed it would make things awkward but percy would also realize his feelings and break up with Rachel. Anyways can't wait for the next update:)_

Yay, you reviewed! *worships senpai* My number one reviewer! Anyways, I'm not too reckless to the point where I would make them kiss in chapter seven. If they had, it wouldn't have been the worst thing, but I'm trying to sit back and smell the roses instead of digging into the chocolate cake. Yeah, I just made it weird now. Yes, the Perachel shall not last long. Thanks!

 _awesomegirl390:_ _This story is amazing! I love it so much, and I need them to kiss soon! But oddly enough, I like that they never do. Huh. Anyway, please update._

 _Bye!_

Wow, thank you so much for your review! It was so sweet and made me smile. I know...the struggle is real. I'm trying to restrain myself but I don't think I can hold back on a kiss for much longer. Here is the update. Thank you, amazing person!

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

I didn't have to work Saturday, and Sunday the pool was closed, so thankfully I could avoid Percy for two days. But, it was only two days, and I had to go back to work eventually and face the wrath of my best friend...or maybe he wasn't even that anymore.

As I drove to work the next day, my heart wrenched in anguish as I awaited the unknown. I didn't want to face Percy after I embarrassed myself in front of him and Piper as well.

I walked past the locker rooms and to the pool, where Percy was already sitting there, waiting for me almost expectantly.

I sat down in my lifeguard chair, opposite of his. He glanced at me hesitantly, then straight at me.

He didn't say anything at first, then mumbled something incoherently.

"What was that?" I asked quietly.

"Never mind," he said, and stormed off towards the locker rooms.

I bit my lip, feeling my emotions from Friday being stirred up again. I blinked back my inevitable tears, remembering that Percy would be back soon and that I shouldn't cry. I held my head high, shoving the memories I so wanted to forget into the back of my brain.

Percy came back eventually, but he didn't talk and nor did I, knowing that if I did all my confused feelings for him would rush out and all my anger at him for making me feel and care about him and then stomping on my heart and then the fact that he had a girlfriend….

"Annabeth!" Thalia yelled loudly. I turned to find her right behind me.

"The pool's about to open. What's with you? You were biting your lip out of existence." I put my tongue to my lips, teeth marks covering the surface of my bottom lip. I could taste a little blood, too.

I looked to my right, where Percy was staring straight ahead, his sea-green eyes glowering.

"Percy? Why are you glaring? What's the matter with you two? You guys are usually making out at this point." Thalia teased. I blushed.

"Shut up, Thalia." Percy seethed. I glanced away. He was even upset being made fun of when it was about either of us together.

"Perce, you know I'm just teasing." Thalia replied coolly, her eyebrows furrowing together puzzled.

Percy glared at Thalia so hard I thought that his eyes might burn a hole through her head. She scowled menacingly back, refusing to back down.

After a few moments, Percy looked away. "Well, maybe it's not just a game anymore."

With that statement, the pool opened and people flooded in through the entrance. I didn't speak to him again until it happened. I wished we hadn't.

A few hours later, after work when we were starting to close up and which Percy had gone to the restroom, I heard a voice behind me that chilled me to the bone, despite the heat.

"Hey Annie. Nice to finally see you. Especially without that friend of yours. What was his name again?"

"Percy," an unusually cold voice from behind spoke, "is my name. And your's is Luke, right? How unfortunate it is that I have to see you again." He sat down at the picnic table that I was sitting at. I was alone since everyone else had already finished their lunch. Percy, surprisingly, hadn't even started his.

"Unfortunate? Are we using big words now? The only thing I heard from your mouth last time was the sound of you drooling over Annabeth," Luke shot back.

Percy glowered at Luke for a long time, then continued to talk, the angry words running out of his mouth. "So you told him to come here? Not surprising. You lead on a lot of guys, don't you, Annabeth? I guess I'm just another one of your victims." The harsh words hit him before they did me. He sprinted across the yard of the outside pool area, running towards one of the hiking trails near the state park.

I stomped after him, the anger seeping through my veins and into my bloodstream, the pervasive fury spreading through my entire body. I ran into the hiking trail, following the path and finding it empty of everyone but Percy.

He was sitting down by a stream, thick into the trails. He was running a hand through his hair. I hoped Luke hadn't followed me here. I looked behind me. He hadn't.

"You had no right to say anything like that about me!" I started, not even beginning what I wanted to say to him.

"Annabeth, I-" Percy began. I stopped him.

"No. You don't get to talk. I need to say this or I'm going to explode!" I hissed. He kept quiet.

"You know better than anyone else that I would never lead anyone on! You...you have a girlfriend, and I have Luke. And Luke has plans! I like Luke, he's perfect for me. **(A/N: This part is from Grey's Anatomy, season 2 episode 27, Losing My Religion. I don't own the quote.)** If anything, you've led me to believe that you like me, so why are you blaming everything on me? Why did you tell me that I do things I clearly don't?" I had no doubt my face was a bright red. "If this is about what happened, or almost happened, on Friday, then just forget about it. I get that you got caught up in the moment and that you still love Rachel-"

"I didn't get caught up in the moment, Annabeth. I'm not really sure how I feel." Percy responded, sighing. I was shocked.

"You like Rachel, that's how you feel. She's your girlfriend, right?" I stomached the truth, and the emptiness the words held.

"Yeah, but I have different feelings for the both of you." **( Guest: I hope you recognize this quote. If not, it's from Girl Meets World. The feelings he has for Riley are different from the feelings he has for Maya...oh wait, his feelings for Maya are non-existent, or if they are there, they are platonic. SUCK THAT, MAYA.)**

"I have different feelings for you and Luke, too," I said quietly, shocked at how bold I was being about my emotions.

"But this doesn't change anything," Percy replied, "because I am still with Rachel and you still like Luke."

"Yeah, it doesn't change anything," I agreed, but I knew I was really lying.

We were silent for a few moments, until he spoke again. "Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean the things I said. I don't know what it is, but whenever Luke comes around, I just go crazy, and I guess I just took it out on you. Will you forgive me?"

"I think the reason you go crazy is because of a green-eyed monster called envy. And I don't know...should I, Seaweed Brain?"

"No, you shouldn't. I'm asking you the impossible, aren't I?" Percy questioned. He looked at me like a baby seal with those sea-green eyes, silently pleading with me.

"I forgive you," I sighed. I couldn't stay mad at him much longer anyways. "And for your information, I didn't ask Luke to come here. He just showed up."

Percy smirked, a smile I had been aching to see. "Someone's desperate."

"Oh, quiet you. I just forgave you. Do you really want me to yell at you again?"

Percy's eyes widened and he shook his head.

We walked out of the trail, and when we did, I could see Luke was gone.

"Good riddance," Percy muttered under his breath. I snorted.

"He's not as bad as you think, Percy. You guys just...got off on the wrong foot."

Percy smirked. "If that's what you could call it. More like he's an obnoxious, insufferable jerk."

My eyes darted onto him, a warning flashing in them. He shut up quickly. "Sorry."

"Let's just change the subject," I suggested.

Suddenly, Percy's phone went off. He groaned in frustration. "Hold on, I have to take this."

Percy walked out of hearing distance. All I could see was the shocked expression on his face as the caller told him something.

Percy angrily hung up on the phone call. What he was angry about, I didn't find out until later.

"You okay?" I asked as he came back from his call, offering him a weak smile. I didn't want to pressure him into answering, even though I really wanted to know why he was so upset when he hung up.

"Fine," Percy grumbled. He checked the time on his phone. "It's late, I better get going."

"Okay," I said, slightly disappointed. "Goodbye, Percy."

"Goodbye, Annabeth," Percy replied, clearly disheartened by his phone call.

I almost said "goodbye" again but that would be three times too many.

I walked to my car and drove home, mulling over the thoughts that seemed to overwhelm my head these days.

 **So, how did you like this chapter? Good, bad? Sorry it's short. What was Percy's phone call about and who was it from? Find out in the next chapter. PM me and review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the SEVENTEEN reviews that I've gotten so far. I was really shocked and pleased to have so many reviews, and I'm glad that you love this story as much as I do. You guys are amazing. From this point on, I will PM the registered accounts if they leave a review and for the guests I will post on here because there are too many reviews to keep posting on this document. Keep reviewing!**

 _Lovethisstory:_ _YAASSSSSSSS! AWESOMENESS! Thank u again for writing so amazingly. Like what would i do without u? Cant wait! i honestly think u should get published one day. btw i started one of ur other stories in love a while ago and still caught up on it :) is there any way u could finish it? it would mean a lot to me. Thanks for this chapter tho!_

 _:D :D :D :D XD_

OMG, this comment made me so happy! You are so sweet and nice! I would love to be published one day. OH NO! You read In Love? I am so sorry...your poor soul. Just kidding, but I hate reading the first chapter of that fic because it's just so bad! But I like keeping and updating it because it reminds me of how far I have come and how much progress I have made. I will try and update it soon! Your welcome, and thanks for your nice review!

 _Weird unicorn:_ _I don't get what people mean by ' moving too fast'. I think your story is perfectly paced and the only way I think it could be moving too fast is if say, Annabeth and Percy are strangers and they just met. If they had a make it session right after, that would be moving too fast. So, for what it's worth, I love your story!_

I'm glad that you feel that way! Some people told me that I move too fast and everything, which really makes me question everything about this fic. Saying that you love this story is worth everything to me, so thank you so much!

 _Guest:_ _Well we would have kissed and all but my life isn't that cools sorry Blake Jackson_

 _AHHHHH RACHEL IM GOING TO KILL YOU. SO EITHER LETS GET THIS OVER WITH OR UPDATE IT AND MAKE IT A HAPPY STORY_

You will be widely disappointed. Sorry Katherine! And don't kill me!

 _Guest:_ _AHHHHH! I love this fanfic so freaking much you are AMAZING!_

 _Is Kara in the next chapter-Hailey_

LOL Hailey that's cute you think I know what's going to happen next chapter. I dunno...depends on what I think up in the next few months because I procrastinate more than Dan Howell

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

It all started at work.

I was in the break room with Percy, getting something out of the vending machine. Percy was with me, trying to get a blue Coke out of the machine. His dad actually had the company stock blue Coke in there. Who knew?

"Wise Girl," Percy asked in the break room, a couple days after our argument. I looked at the vending machine, trying to decide what I wanted. "Yes, Percy?" I tapped my chin as I thought.

He glanced at my face, and I could see he was nervous. "I have this extra ticket to go to the Yankee's game this Friday, and I was wondering if you could go with me."

"B4!" I said a little too eccentric as I picked out my snack from the vending machine. I then took a double take. "Wait what?" I asked, wondering if I had heard him correctly.

"Would you like to go to the Yankee's game with me?" Percy repeated a little bewildered, probably because of little outburst.

"Like on a date?" I teased. Percy blushed beet red.

"You wish it was a date," Percy joked. I laughed in response.

"In your wildest dreams, Seaweed Brain," I laughed. "Sure, I'll go with you."

Percy smiled. "I'm glad. You know...since we're friends and all." My heart dropped at friends.

"Yeah...friends," I replied weirdly, glancing at Percy's hand, which held the unopened blue Coke in all of it's glory.

I snatched it out of his hand, running around the room with it. "Catch me if you can!" I yelled. He chased after me.

Percy snickered as he caught up with me. "I'm going to have to Annabeth _Chase_ you around you the room, aren't I?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, shaking my head. "That's the worst pun I've ever heard in my life." I turned around and glanced at him, our eyes locking. We stayed like that for a few moments, then I cleared my throat. "You're never gonna catch me, Percy!"

"Oh, Wise Girl," Percy remarked, "I think I already have." He ran after me. My back was pressed up against the vending machine, clutching the can.

"Get away, Percy," I teased. Percy reached for the can I held high above my head. Unfortunately for me, he was much taller, and he grabbed it back from me. I put my hands at my side, and I pretended to be defeated. "I guess you beat me, Percy," I sighed overdramatically.

"Yeah, I guess I did," he smirked, then opened the pop tab like I knew he would. Percy's sense of accomplishment vanished as the blue Coke spewed out of the can, since I had been jumping around with it. It covered his face in blue. I snickered. "In your face, Percy! Or should I say on your face?" I rolled on the floor laughing as Percy tackled me to the ground.

"You are in for it, Annabeth!" Percy said, trying to act mad but you could tell he was trying to keep a straight face. Eventually, his face broke into a grin, and he slapped his forehead for it. "Stupid ADHD. I can never sit still."

I laughed lightly and said, "So when does the Yankee's game start, Kelp Head?"

Percy rolled his eyes in response. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He received a smack on the shoulder for that comment. "Ow, okay, we'll leave around four from work, meanie."

"Thank you, Perseus," I said.

His face turned bright red. "How do you know my real name?"

I giggled, walking away from him. "Your mom told me. We keep in touch."

I heard him grumble the rest of our lunch break about girls and how mean they were.

* * *

It was finally Friday afternoon. The day I had anticipating all week long.

Part of me was excited to go to the game with Percy, yet another part of me was nervous and afraid of what would happen. I didn't want to mess things up with him and his girlfriend. She's the one he wanted to be with, otherwise he would have broken up with Rachel by now.

Anyways, enough of my that. This was supposed to be my first Yankee's game in five years. The last one I had went to, my mother bought me a Yankee's hat. I was only twelve years old then and she had given it to me for my birthday. Sometimes I would wear it to feel closer to her, since she's across the other side of the country. I packed it in my bag that I usually brought to work.

Work seemed to take forever. Sometimes my ADHD made something I didn't want to do seem to take ten hours. Not that I didn't want to go to work, but I was really excited for this game.

Percy seemed just as excited as I was. As soon as work was over, he made me race him to the car. His eagerness didn't stop there. Apparently he had somewhere special he wanted to go before the game.

"Where are we going, Seaweed Brain?" I asked him, stifling a laugh. He had been singing along to the Disney songs he'd been playing the entire drive.

"I can't say. It's a secret," he grinned, then went back to singing "Under the Sea" from _The Little Mermaid._

Eventually, he convinced me to sing along with him, after much coaxing. We started singing "A Whole New World" from _Aladdin_ , singing the corresponding parts.

After what seemed like forever, we stopped at a beach. Next to it was a very run-down cabin, looking hollow. No light shined inside of it.

"Where are we?" I asked.

His face looked wistful. "Montauk. It's my favorite place in the world."

"It's beautiful," I told him.

"It's more run-down than anything, but I love it," Percy said sadly.

"I mean, it's not much for architectural work," I replied, gesturing to the worn cabin. "But if it's important to you, it's beautiful no matter what it looks like. It's the memories that count, right?"

Percy's smile was more happy now than nostalgic. "You always know what to say."

"My name's Wise Girl for a reason," I smirked. "You okay?"

"I am now," he smiled. I blushed embarrassedly. "We better go," he said.

I nodded in agreement. "Let's get to that Yankee's game."

We walked back to the car while I tried to suppress the butterflies in my stomach.

* * *

It was during the seventh inning when it happened.

The Kiss Cam was fixating couples onto its large screen. Percy and I hadn't been paying much attention to it-we were intently watching the game. Occasionally I would have to steal my hat back from Percy, who would take it off my head and put it on his own messy black hair.

After a few minutes Percy took my hat again and we were so busy arguing that when I finally got it back, we saw that we were on the big screen.

I stared at the Kiss Cam for a second, not comprehending what I had to do. Then I looked at Percy, who was gaping at the screen. "Uhh…," I muttered.

The Kiss Cam didn't move the camera off of us like I had hoped. Percy turned to meet my eyes, his face flushed red.

"Should we…," I trailed off, not wanting to finish my sentence. Some of the crowd was cheering now.

Percy gave me a slight head nod. I leaned in closer to his face, nervous. He moved his head closer to my face and kissed me. I thought it would be quick but he seemed to linger for a few seconds. My head felt like it was going to explode, and my stomach was an anxious pit of butterflies. My eyes fluttered open as I pulled away. I didn't even notice that at some point my cap had fallen off. I picked it up flustered and put it back on my head. Percy didn't even try to take it again. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

After a couple more innings, the game was over, and Percy and I wordlessly left. I couldn't believe we had actually kissed, but I felt the guilt gnawing at me. Poor Rachel, I thought. And what was I going to do when Luke found out? I hung my head in shame, even if it wasn't my fault.

Percy drove, his hands starch white from clutching the steering wheel. I felt horrible. For the first ten minutes, an awkward silence filled the car. Then I couldn't take it anymore. I attempted to talk to him. "Percy, I'm sorry for what happened."

He didn't respond. His eyes didn't leave the road. It was starting to rain. I bit my lip. "Do you want to listen to your Disney songs?" I turned on his phone and "Kiss The Girl" from _The Little Mermaid_ began to play. My face turned red and I shut if off quickly. "Okay...maybe not _that_ song. Percy, I'll even tell Rachel what happened. Please just talk to me."

He finally turned to look at me. His face looked angry and confused. "How would you explain it to Rachel? Tell her that we...kissed because a crowd was cheering us on? She really won't like that."

"I'm sorry! I'm not really sure what I'll tell Luke either…," I trailed off.

His eyes narrowed at the mention of his name. "Luke shouldn't be mad at you. It's not your fault."

"It's not yours either," I replied. He shook his head.

"Yes it is!" he yelled.

"Why are you yelling?" I shouted.

"I don't know. I don't know why I'm yelling," he said quieter.

"How is it your fault?" I said angrily, not understanding what he did wrong. "You didn't do anything wrong. Just tell Rachel that it didn't mean anything."

"I can't do that," Percy responded.

"Why not?" I asked again, my anger rising.

"Because it did mean something!" The anger that roared in my ears died out.

I didn't say anything to that. I flashed back to our kiss and I immediately agreed that it had meant something.

"I shouldn't kiss you like that while I'm dating someone else," Percy said. I felt like someone was poking my heart with a cold metal rod.

The rain was coming down now. The windshield wipers didn't help much. Not again, I thought. My anxiety level was rising. I was scared we were going to hydroplane. Percy pulled over to a familiar stop after a few more minutes. It was Montauk. Percy's cabin was on the south shore at the tip of Long Island.

"Get inside!" Percy yelled, the rain beating down hard. We ran out of the car and into the worn cabin. I felt around for a light switch as Percy swung the door shut, a struggle because of the wind. I found the switch and flipped it, the light filling the cabin.

The curtains were faded and the whole thing was one big room, except for a closed door on the other side of the room, which I assumed was the bathroom. There were two twin beds shoved in a corner. The light kept flickering on and off because of the storm. There were cabinets and kitchen appliances more ancient than the gods in a corner, and a beaten down sofa to the side. I set my bag down on one of the beds and sat down on it, sand in the sheets.

Percy sat down on the other bed across from me. I layed down on the bed, tired from today's events. He followed suit. I tried to think of something, anything to say. "So...how do you know about this place?" I wondered.

"I've been coming here with my parents ever since I was a baby," he replied. "My parents met here, actually. We haven't been here yet this year. I've missed the place."

"Is that why you wanted to take me here?" I asked.

His face turned to the side so he could see my face. "Yeah. I've never taken anyone else here before."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me," I breathed. I was so close to him. I could feel his breath on my face, and if I wanted to, I could've touched his face with my hand.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

I sighed, asking the question everyone was wondering. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know," he replied. "All the lines are blurred now."

"Why aren't we able to be just friends?" I wondered. The lights shut off and didn't come back on. I didn't pay very much attention to it.

Percy hesitated. "Maybe that's not how it's supposed to be between us."

My heart fluttered. "But...you'd still rather be with Rachel."

He didn't answer. "Right?" I pressed.

"I don't know. I don't know anymore," Percy told me, and I could tell he was truly confused by the look on his face and the sound of his voice. "And even if I didn't want to be with her anymore, you still have Luke, right?"

"I don't know. I don't know anymore," I said.

It was quiet for a few minutes, and we heard nothing but the wind and rain raging outside. It was hard to see anything in the dark. "I'm going to go find a flashlight," I said, getting up and going to look in the cabinets.

I clicked my phone on, the faint light shining in the cabinets. I squinted, seeing something small and black. Then my eyes widened and I screamed, realizing that it was a spider. I fell back. Percy scrambled out of his bed. "Annabeth? Are you hurt?" he asked, sounding very worried. I froze as I pointed up at the cabinet.

"Spiders!" I let out a strangled yelp. He killed the spider and shut the cabinet door, pulling me up and holding me close to him.

"It's okay, 'Beth. They're gone," he whispered. I looked into his eyes, mesmerized. I took a sharp breath, almost giving into my temptation to kiss him. I pulled away awkwardly and put my arms back to my sides.

Percy released his hold on me and we walked back to our beds. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you," Percy said, a serious look on his face. "That phone call I got yesterday...it was from Rachel."

I took the news in silence and nodded. "What did she say?"

He bit his lip. "She's coming back to New York."

 **Wowza! There's a not so unexpected plot twist! I will continue this chapter where it stopped next chapter. I'm sorry for being inactive. Please get to at least 5 reviews. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you all for the reviews, even though only asked for five! You guys are awesome. 3 Here is chapter 10. I'm sorry for not updating for, like, six months or whatever it's been. Can you guys believe this fic has been out for nearly two years? I published it September 11, 2015. Thank you guys so much for reading this. It gives me something that I love to do and wonderful people to do it for.**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

I stared at him in silence. The only word I could manage to say is "Why?"

He shook his head. "Her parents don't really like the beach. They're coming home early."

"When are they coming back?" I asked. I'm not sure how I felt, but all I knew was that things were going to get very hectic whenever she returned.

"They'll be back tomorrow."

I frowned, laying back down on my bed. I couldn't find any words, so I just didn't say anything for a while. "Is she taking her old job back?"

Percy shrugged. "I have no idea. She didn't sound too excited on the phone. I guess she's made some new friends."

"Good for her then," I mumbled, and I threw my arm over to cover my face and turned to the side, my back facing Percy.

* * *

When I woke up, I heard rain pelting the foggy windows. I felt Percy shaking my shoulder. "Come on, Annabeth, we need to leave before it starts pouring down again."

We both walked out wordlessly, grey streaking the bleak sky.

Both of us hopped into Percy's car. I had no idea where he was driving, hopefully home, but instead he stopped in front of a restaurant. "What are we doing here?"

Percy rolled his eyes in response. "We're at a restaurant, it's morning, and I'm hungry. What do you think?"

"I mean I assumed that we're going to breakfast," I snarked back playfully, "but don't you want to get home right away?"

He looked at me in determination. "I'd rather put off her visit until later. I'm kind of scared what will happen when the three of us are in the same room." I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"What? City's not big enough for the both of us?" I teased, but a painful expression covered his face. The laughter died in my throat. Both of us sat there in silence for a few beats.

"Well, come on," Percy exclaimed. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving." He unbuckled my seatbelt and reached across me to open the car door. I rolled my eyes at his chivalry.

Percy shoved his hands in his pockets and walked up the steps to the restaurant. It looked like a homey diner. The smell of buttery toast and bacon wafted through the air as we stepped inside. We both settled in a cozy booth as a waitress came our way. "Can I get you something to drink?" the older woman asked, a tired smile on her face.

"Orange juice sounds good," Percy smiled widely, opening his menu. The woman scrawled it down on her notepad before looking to me.

"I'll have a coffee with some cream and sugar," I said, flitting through my menu as well.

She wrote my order down and nodded. "I'll be back with your drinks in a second." We both smiled after her before looking back at each other.

I took a breath, trying to avoid his inquisitive sea-green eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about Rachel coming back?"

Percy's eyes seemed to darken, like he'd been expecting this question. "I didn't want things to go back to the way they were...I guess I thought that by hiding the truth that maybe it wouldn't happen."

I crossed my arms and stared at the table. "But it is going to happen." A few seconds of silence passed between us before I got a reply.

"Is it bad that I don't want it to?" I looked up in surprise, his face looking shocked, too. Before I could respond, our waitress came back with our drinks. Percy smiled at her in response, charming as always. "Thank you very much."

The lady's wan smile looked a little less tired. "Are you ready to order?"

Percy nodded to me. I panicked, picking the first thing on my menu. I had been so caught up in my conversation with Percy that I hadn't chosen something to eat. "I'll have two pancakes with a side of bacon and hashbrowns," I said quickly, closing the menu and handing it to the waitress. Percy rattled off his order and handed her his menu as well. She walked away swiftly, menus in hand.

I glanced back at the boy in front of me. He was quieter than any time I'd ever seen him. I wrapped my hands around my coffee mug, silently pouring in my cream and sugar. I stirred the contents in for a few seconds while Percy watched, his eyes transfixed on the cup in my hands.

"Percy," I said, calling him out of his daze. He snapped out of his daydream and looked into my eyes.

"Sorry," he responded, taking a swig of his orange juice. "I'm just worried."

"You? Worried?" I asked sarcastically, feigning surprise.

A small smile appeared on his face. "Shocker, right?" He paused. "It's just this whole Rachel thing."

I nodded in understanding, trying to ignore the dip of disappointment in my stomach. "I don't know what's going to happen for once…," I said, the words hard for me to admit, "but I know that we're going to stay friends."

He put his face in his hands, his elbows on the table. "Thanks, 'Beth," he grinned, the worry lines that had previously been etched across his face were now replaced by smooth skin. "You always know how to straighten me out."

I tried to ignore the good feeling that came with his words, but it proved to be difficult as the smile spread across my face.

The older lady came our way, holding two steaming plates of breakfast for us. Percy's eyes brightened at the sight and he immediately moved over his orange juice to make room for his plate.

As she set them down, Percy hungrily dug into his food. I stared at my plate of pancakes and took small bites, not having much of an appetite. He noticed this right away as I continued to pick at my food. "What's wrong, Wise Girl?" He let his fork clatter onto his plate, his face attentive.

I shrugged. "Are you going to tell Rachel about yesterday?" Percy's eyes dropped from mine, looking ashamed.

"I don't know if it's worth it," he mumbled. "It's not like it was our idea or anything."

A slight frown appeared on my face. "She should still know about it. You don't want it to blow up in your face," I added, taking a forkful of hashbrowns and putting it in my mouth. "If you're upfront about it, maybe she won't be as upset."

"She's pretty understanding, but she already thinks there's something going on between us," he replied. "I don't want to fuel the fire but I don't wanna hide it from her either."

"The truth is always the best thing, Percy," I assured him, my appetite finally gaining composure. I took a bite of bacon as he mulled over my words.

He gave me a quick smile. "Yeah. I should probably tell her." A pause ensued before he added, "Are you gonna tell Luke?"

I thought about it for a second before saying, "He probably already knows. He loves the Yankees."

Percy made a "yikes" face in response. "So what are you going to do about him?"

I shrugged at the question. "I just hope he understands that nothing has changed."

He nodded along, accepting what I said, but deep down, we both knew that _everything_ had changed.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey. I've been trying to update this fic more often, especially because rereading PJO has given me some more motivation. This fanfic only has ten chapters left on it, and I've gotten everything planned out the way I want it. The only thing left to do is write it. :) So let's get started! Enjoy chapter 11! P.S. I just looked up how long it would take to get from Yankee Stadium to Montauk and it would be like a three-hour drive. In this story, the drive isn't nearly as long simply due to plot convenience.**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

Percy and I were back in the car, driving home to Manhattan. The car was filled with silence for the first few minutes or so, but not the tense, suffocating emptiness that had been there before. It was more like nervous energy, and both of us were plenty nervous about going home.

I plugged my phone into Percy's car charger. The silence was broken when my phone lit up with several text messages and missed calls, Percy already having explained the situation to his mom before we left the diner. I winced as I scrolled through all of the messages.

 _Dad: (sent at 9:13 pm)_

 _When are you going to be home?_

 _Dad: (sent at 9:21 pm)_

 _Where are you?_

 _3 missed calls from Dad_

 _Susan: (sent at 9:36 pm)_

 _Please pick up your phone!_

 _2 missed calls from Susan_

 _Luke: (sent at 10:56 pm)_

 _How could you do that?_

 _8 missed calls from Luke_

I groaned as I saw Luke's message. I swiped right on all of my messages and my phone opened to my home screen. I added Susan and my dad to a group chat and explained what happened and that I'd be home soon.

I stared at Luke's message, pained. What was I going to tell him?

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, looking concerned. I tore my eyes away from the text.

"It's my parents," I said, worry etched across my face. "I feel bad that they were so worried about me. I'm sort of surprised they noticed I was gone at all."

"Why wouldn't they have noticed?" he asked, clearly troubled by this news. He was well aware of my family situation: divorced parents, stepmom, how my mom was currently living in Washington, and all about my half brothers, Matthew and Bobby, but I'd never told him about my feelings towards the whole thing.

I shrugged. "My dad is so oblivious to everything. We never had the best relationship, especially after my parents got divorced."

"What about your step-mom?"

I stared out the rainy car window. "I'm pretty sure she hates me."

He shook his head profusely. "That can't be true. It's impossible not to like you," he smiled, nudging me. I looked at him as he gave me a comforting smile. "I don't think that she hates you. Maybe she thinks that you hate her and she just feels defensive."

"Are you saying this is my fault?" I questioned, teasing more than anything.

He gave me a knowing look. "Of course not. I'm just saying there may be more to it than that."

I thought about what he said for a few minutes before saying, "You know, for a Seaweed Brain, you're rather insightful."

"I try," he said, cracking another grin. "It's kind of weird, though."

"What's weird?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged, looking straight ahead at the dark road ahead. "That you've never told me any of that before."

"It's not like I tell everybody...actually, you're the only person that I've ever told," I said.

His smile brightened significantly. "Really?" I nodded, my smile widening at how happy he seemed. "I'm really glad that you did."

And with that, we sank back into silence, and though the nervousness was still there, there was some happiness, too.

* * *

We finally reached the state pool parking lot. Being a Saturday and nearing noon, the place was getting very busy, and the lot was becoming packed with vehicles. As Percy and I pulled into a parking space, we saw a familiar girl with a mane of red hair coming towards us. My stomach flipped; Rachel was back.

I climbed out of Percy's car at the same time he did. She walked closer to us, a thin smile on her face. When she neared Percy, it brightened, and she brought him into a hug.

Percy was obviously caught off-guard by the embrace and neglected to return it. "Hey Rachel," he said offhandedly.

"I've almost been gone for a month and all you have to say is 'hey?'" she said teasingly, though I detected slight annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry," Percy apologized. "I'm just kind of surprised to see you."

Rachel's smile thinned significantly. "Did you miss me?"

"Yeah," he replied distractedly. An awkward silence ensued before Percy turned to me. "You remember Annabeth."

"Nice to see you again," she said, rather forcefully, holding her hand out. I shook it, trying not to glare at her too hard as she grabbed Percy's arm.

"You ready to go?" Rachel asked, though I had a feeling she didn't really care what his answer was. She dragged him towards the pool area and Percy gave me a meek wave as he followed her.

As I watched Percy be dragged away by Rachel, I knew that I had never felt so defeated.

* * *

I eventually found my car and drove home, luckily having Saturday off. I was extremely tired, especially of debating about Percy and Luke in my head. I couldn't wait to get home and sleep.

Unfortunately, that sleep didn't come until much, much later because I had an unexpected surprise when I got home.

As I pulled up to my house and walked inside, I greeted my father and brothers. For once, my dad looked up from working on his model airplane. "Hey, you're home."

"So I've heard," I said tiredly, tossing my keys onto a table. I sat down in an arm chair.

"And you're okay?" My dad stared at me uncertainly.

Everything that happened over the past two days flashed into my head. "I'm fine."

I got up from my chair and walked into the kitchen, where Susan was drying dishes. "You're back," she stated.

"I guess." I tried to keep the conversation civil. Maybe Percy had been onto something when he said Susan might not be so bad.

I started up the stairs when I heard her say, "I'm glad you're okay."

I turned around and searched her face for any fakeness or lie, but she seemed genuine.

"Thanks. Me too," I replied, smiling slightly. I kept going up the stairs until I reached my room.

And as I flung myself on my bed, I let the tears fall.

* * *

A couple hours later, I was still sitting on my bed when I heard a knock on the door.

"Dinner's ready," I heard Susan say. I didn't even look up.

"I'm not hungry," I said, hugging my pillow to my chest. Instead of turning around and leaving, she did the exact opposite, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

I looked at her uncertainly. "I just wanted to say that your dad and I were really worried that something happened to you last night." I raised an eyebrow at her, but she continued. "And I know the two of us never really got along, but I don't understand why."

"Because you hate me?" I asked.

"What made you think that I hated you?" she said, sounding hurt.

I stared at her for a long minute before saying, "Because of my mother."

"You're not your mother, Annabeth," she said softly. "And I don't hate you."

My eyes were now fixated on the pillow in my arms. "Then why do you treat me like you do?"

She sighed. "I guess the truth is that I've always been a little bit scared of you." I snorted. She gave me a look. "It's true. And I knew that I could never be your real mom, so I guess I got defensive."

Maybe Percy was a little right about Susan. I pushed the thought of Percy out of my mind. "Maybe I didn't help the situation either," I admitted grudgingly. There was a hint of a smile on her face. "I just don't want to feel like I'm an inconvenience to anyone anymore."

Susan frowned. "You're not an inconvenience to us. You're apart of this family just as much as everybody else."

I was surprised at the sentiment and tried to hide the tears in my eyes. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Can I ask you something?" I considered it for a moment before nodding. "What happened at that Yankee's game?"

"Nothing happened," I immediately lied.

Susan gave me a look. "Are you sure?"

I stared at her for a moment until I felt the tears well in my eyes, and all of a sudden, I was telling Susan everything that had happened with Percy and even about Luke's message. She watched me with a look of concern on her face. "I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I had no idea."

I brushed the tears on my face away with my palms and nodded, too upset to speak.

Susan eventually left me alone in my room, but only if I promised to eat dinner later. I agreed, even though I knew I didn't mean it. All I wanted was to stay in my room for the next few days and cry over a black-haired boy with sea-green eyes.

* * *

An hour or so later, my phone started ringing. I nearly let my phone keep ringing until I saw the name that flashed across the screen: Seaweed Brain. I considered answering for a brief second before holding the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Annabeth," Percy said, desperation in his voice, and for a moment, all of the bad feelings drained from my body.

"What's wrong?" I said casually, though I was feeling anything but relaxed.

"I think I'm going to break up with Rachel."

Shock covered my features briefly before I snapped out of my reverie. "Why?"

His voice was urgent as he said, "She's not you."

My breathing hitched as the words hit me. "But you said that nothing was changed."

"I know what I said, but…"

And in the quick second that I had to respond, I knew I was going to regret what I was about to say. "You shouldn't break up with Rachel."

"Why not?" Percy said, sounding confused and somewhat hurt.

"I don't even know how I feel anymore. Maybe I'm just confusing my feelings with Luke for you." It was hard to lie to him, but I knew I had to do it. It wasn't fair to Rachel, and he still sounded like he wasn't sure about his feelings for me or her.

Percy was silent for a long time before saying, "If that's how you really feel."

"It is." The two words crushed me more than I cared to admit.

There was another moment of silence when he said, "I have to go." I couldn't even get a goodbye out before he hung up. My heart hammered in my chest, feeling too upset to even think about what Percy said.

As I stared at my phone, I remembered Luke's text from earlier. " _How could you do that?"_

And as I thought about his words, I knew that I had to explain everything to him. It rang a few times. I doubted he would even answer me after the way I'd treated him.

Suddenly, the ringing cut off and I was met with silence. "Hey," I said. "It's me."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! I'd like five reviews on this chapter before I update again because I didn't get any reviews on my last chapter, lol. Enjoy chapter 12! There are only eight chapters left!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

"I'm surprised you had the courtesy to call," Luke said coldly. I fought the urge to wince; I wasn't used to Luke talking to me that way.

"I'm so sorry, Luke," I pleaded. "Whatever you saw, we didn't plan that, trust me."

I could practically hear him roll his eyes on the other end as he said, "Could've fooled me."

"I'm so sorry." I swallowed hard before saying, "Percy and I are just friends."

There was a moment of silence on the other line. "How am I supposed to believe that after I watched you kiss him?"

"He told me he liked me and I rejected him," I admitted.

"Really?" Luke sounded surprised, and maybe a little hopeful.

"Yeah," I answered. "So, uh, do you want to go out on that date?"

There was shocked silence on his end. "Definitely," he said coolly, but underneath his tone, I could hear his excitement. He had been my best friend for years, after all.

We made plans to go out to dinner the next night, but as I hung the phone up, I felt a wave of disappointment wash over me.

 _This is how it's supposed to be,_ I thought to myself. _Right?_

But I knew deep down that it didn't feel right at all.

* * *

Piper was over at my house the next evening to help prepare me for my date. She sat on my bed as I explained what happened and told her about how I rejected Percy. "You did _what_?" she said disbelievingly.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but I had to," I said. "I don't want him to date me while he's still confused about his feelings."

"He didn't sound all that confused to me," Piper pointed out. "I think you're pushing him away because you're afraid you're gonna get hurt."

Was that my underlying reason for all of this? "What makes you think that?"

She looked at me like it was obvious. "You tend to push people away when they get too close to you."

A pang tolled in my chest as I realized the truth of her statement. "I still think I should try with Luke. I...I could be happy with him."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "But would that be enough? I mean, I know you've had a crush on him for years, but…"

"I have to at least try!" I exclaimed in slight exasperation. "I owe that to him, even if my feelings are all confused now."

"But you also owe it to yourself to be happy," Piper insisted. "Look, whoever you end up with, I'll support you. I just don't want you to make this too hard on yourself."

I mulled over her words for a moment. Would being with Luke make me truly happy? I shook the thought from my head. "You're such a love expert."

"My mom's namesake is Aphrodite for a reason, I guess," she laughed. "So what are you gonna do?"

I took a deep breath. "I think I owe it to Luke, and to myself," I added, "to go on this date." She nodded in agreement. "I at least need some closure on my feelings, anyways."

"All right," she smiled, and I felt relieved to see her be okay with my decision. "Then let's get you ready for this date."

* * *

"Annabeth, Luke's here!" I heard Susan's voice call downstairs, Piper having left an hour before. From what I heard, she sounded surprised.

I walked downstairs to find Luke standing in the doorway smiling, the long scar on the side of his face drastically standing out from his casual smile and bright eyes. He looked nice in his leather jacket, white shirt, and jeans. "Hey, long time no see."

"Yeah," I said, suddenly feeling awkward. I hadn't seen him in a while, after all. "It's good to see you."

He continued to smile at me. "Ready to go?"

I nodded, grabbing my jacket on the way out. Susan watched us with intrigue. "See you guys, later."

My brothers paid no attention, used to Luke's presence, and my dad murmured a goodbye quietly, his focus on the model airplane in front of them. Susan simply smiled and shut the door behind us.

Luke and I walked down the path that led from my house to his car. "You look nice," he smiled.

"Thanks. So do you," I replied easily. It was nice hanging out with Luke again, but I didn't get the same rush I did with him that I did with Percy. My heart didn't beat faster around Luke, and the butterflies I got around Percy were nowhere to be found. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, instead asking, "Where are we going?"

"How about the diner?" Luke asked. There was a diner in upper-side Manhattan that we hung out at after school sometimes with Piper, Jason, and some others from school.

"That sounds great, actually." I hadn't been there ever since the end of school. Whenever we had exams or tests for class and I needed to get away from my family, I'd go to the diner and study.

We both got in his car and talked a little during the drive. I was glad to see him and it felt good talking to him again normally, like the way we used to before the whole him asking me out thing and the Percy mess. It felt like we were just two friends, catching up and grabbing some dinner. Because it was Luke, I had a hard time remembering that we were actually on a date.

Eventually, we reached the diner, and as we found ourselves a booth, I was starkly reminded of me and Percy eating breakfast at the restaurant near Montauk. _Stop_ , I thought. _Don't think about Percy._

Luke and I sat across from each other, and I folded my hands on the table. The atmosphere between us had changed, and the pressure of us being on a date had finally sunk in. I could feel the air around us tense, and an awkward silence ensued.

A waiter came and we ordered our drinks. I asked for a water with lemon, and Luke ordered Mountain Dew. As the waiter left with our order, Luke commented, "I'm surprised you didn't want coffee. You're practically addicted to the stuff."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Addicted" would be a slight exaggeration. I usually drank it whenever I had to study for finals or stay up late to do homework, though it didn't help much with my ADHD problems. "I'd rather not be up for the next six hours, thank you very much," I laughed awkwardly. He cracked a smile at me as the waiter came back with our drinks. We ordered our food before the waiter left again, and another silence ensued.

"This is kind of weird, isn't it?" Luke admitted, and I nodded in agreement.

"We've been friends for so long, it's just a little strange, I guess," I remarked. My mind wandered to Percy and how nothing ever felt weird with him. _This is Luke, not Percy,_ I reminded myself.

"Yeah, maybe," he said. The tense silence stayed between us for a while until the waiter brought our food out. I thanked him before turning to my meal, glad that we both finally had an excuse not to talk.

I focused on my food, trying to avoid looking at Luke. Were first dates always supposed to be this awkward?

Awkward small talk continued throughout the entire date until we left the restaurant. As we walked back to his car, he said, "Hey Annabeth?" He sounded a little nervous.

"Yeah?" I asked, hopeful that we could finally cut through all the weird tension. But then he did something that I never expected him to do in a million years. He took me by the shoulders and kissed me.

In that quick moment, all my confusion over Luke and Percy cleared up completely.

After a second, he released me from his hold and stared into my eyes, his expression unreadable. "You feel anything?" Luke asked.

"No," I admitted hesitantly as we stood still on the sidewalk. "You?"

"Nope," he said. "I don't get it!"

I stared at him in silence as I thought. "I remember how everyone thought we would be the best couple when we became friends in eighth grade. Do you?"

"Yeah," he said. "Do you think that's why we like each other? Because everyone else thought we did?"

I stuffed my hands into my pockets. "Maybe." I looked back on the way I've always perceived Luke over the past several years: protective, kind, handsome, brave. "You've always kind of felt like an older brother figure to me."

"You've kind of felt like an annoying little sister," he teased, and I cracked a smile. "I feel stupid now," he laughed nervously, scratching his head.

I looked at him confused. "How come?"

"I kept acting crazy whenever you got near that Percy guy, and I don't think I was even really jealous," he explained. "I felt more like I had to protect you, and a little upset that you were hanging out with him so much," Luke added with a little smile.

"I'm sorry about that," I apologized. "I've missed hanging out with you." We stared at each other in silence before I suggested, "Can we go back to being friends?"

Luke grinned. "I'd like that a lot."

And with that, the two of us continued our walk back to his car, and I felt completely relieved that all the confusion over Luke was finally clear to me.

* * *

As soon as Luke dropped me off at my house, I found myself dialing Percy's number. I mentally begged him to pick up, and after a few rings, he did. "Hello?"

"Hey. I need to talk to you," I said urgently.

"I was actually about to call you," he said. "You were right. I shouldn't have broken up with Rachel."

My heart broke at his words. "I was?" I asked weakly. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Yeah. Maybe I was just confusing my feelings for her with you since she was gone, like you were with Luke."

I struggled to respond. My words felt like they were stuck in my throat. "Yeah, maybe," I choked out.

Percy cleared his throat. "Anyways, what did you want to tell me?"

"Never mind, it's okay," I said, my chest feeling tight. "I'll talk to you later." Tears threatened to escape my eyes as I said the words.

"Annabeth?" Percy said, sounding concerned.

I ignored him, barely getting out a goodbye before hanging up the phone.

I ran into the house, closing the door hard behind me. My dad looked up, sitting in the same spot he had been in when I had left. "Annabeth, are you okay? What's wrong?" I shook my head, rubbing the tears in my eyes away angrily before running up the steps to my room. I locked the door behind me and flung myself onto my bed, sobbing into my pillow.

Little did I know that it would be several hours before I came out of it again.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed on chapter 12. In the comment section, someone suggested that I improve how I write characters and make my story less dramatic. I originally intended for my story to not have so much drama, but other reviewers wanted the choice between Luke and Percy/Annabeth and Rachel to be harder, so I made it that way. Luckily for Guest, the useless drama is coming to an end soon. :) Anyways, we only have seven chapters left. Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

It wasn't until the next morning that I came out of my room, and I immediately wished I hadn't.

The harsh light stung my eyes as I left my room, and my eyes felt weak from crying. I felt ashamed for crying over something so stupid, and for letting my emotions get the best of me again. This whole Percy situation was making my feelings go crazy.

I had to work in a few hours, and even though I woke up later than usual, I still had plenty of time to get ready, luckily for me. I settled for a hot shower, feeling as gross as I was, and the warm water calmed my nerves. It was just what I needed, and I almost felt relaxed as I wrapped myself in a towel and got dressed for the day.

Then I remembered that I would have to see Rachel and Percy together, and was overwhelmed with a sense of dread.

Forcefully, I shook the painful thought from my mind and prepared myself for work. I wore my swimsuit underneath my clothes and packed my bag. Afterwards, I made my lunch and sat it on top of the rest of my belongings.

As I looked at the time, I realized that if I didn't hurry up, I would be late. On my way out, I grabbed an apple to eat for breakfast and ate it on the way there.

Almost too soon, I arrived at the pool, and became filled with worry at the thought of seeing Rachel and Percy together. Reluctantly, I got out of my car and walked towards the pool gates, throwing away my apple core as I did so.

As I neared the entrance, I could hear two people who seemed to be arguing. I stopped, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, but it was hard to ignore what they were saying. From where I was standing, I could catch bits and pieces.

"I don't see why I can't invite her!" a familiar voice said. I recognized the voice as Percy's, and instantly froze.

"I'm not blind! I know you like her. I don't think it's a good idea," said a higher-pitched, female voice that could only be Rachel's. "Can't you just leave it at that?"

Percy made a sound of protest before saying, "She's my friend."

Rachel replied smoothly, "Well maybe that should change."

Shocked silence fell between the two. I could feel my temper rising since I knew they were talking about me. I took a few seconds to calm myself down before walking through the pool entrance. Both Percy and Rachel turned to face me as I entered.

"Hey," I said, giving them indifferent glances. I continued to stroll towards the pool area before I heard Percy's voice calling from behind me.

"Annabeth!"

I turned around to find him standing in front of me. I met his eyes with a hard look in them. "What?"

Percy looked disappointed at my coldness. Behind him, I could see Rachel glaring at us, her face as red as her hair. "Well, uh, Rachel's having a 4th of July party at her house this weekend and I was wondering if you wanted to go."

 _So_ that's _what they had been talking about_ , I thought to myself. "Sure, that sounds fun," I said, managing to give him a weak smile. By the look on his face, I could tell he thought it was forced.

"Okay, great," he said, awkwardly turning away from me. He walked towards Rachel, who was refusing to even look at him.

I sighed inwardly, already hoping that the day would end.

* * *

Later that evening, I found myself sitting on Luke's couch. We decided to try and hang out more for the rest of the summer since we'd wasted so much time being confused over the past month. Both of us were sitting on his couch, watching TV and eating the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that his mom made us. "I've missed these," I sighed, taking a big bite of my sandwich.

Luke laughed. "They are good, aren't they?"

I tried to answer, but nearly started choking on the chunks of sandwich in my mouth. It had us both in fits of laughter as I tried to swallow it.

"How was work today?" Luke asked casually, his eyes flickering between me and the TV.

I shrugged. "Percy's stupid girlfriend came back to work today." Luckily for me, nothing else much had happened since I had done my best to avoid them both the entire day, even eating lunch with Piper and Jason while they made stupid heart eyes at each other. Blech.

"Is she really stupid or are you just jealous?" he teased.

I nudged him with my elbow. "I got to work and overheard her tell Percy that he shouldn't be friends with me anymore."

Luke's eyes widened. "Wow, she really is horrible."

"Percy also invited me to go to a party at her house this weekend, too, so she got mad at him," I added, taking a sip of milk from my glass. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"Why don't I go with you?" Luke suggested. "It won't be so bad if we go together."

"You'd be okay with that? I thought you hate Percy," I said skeptically.

"That was when I thought I liked you," he replied. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. It was still weird to talk about, even if I had come to terms with my "feelings" for him.

I finished off my sandwich. "Okay. Let's do it."

"On one condition," Luke added, and I groaned. "You have to answer my question."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you like Percy?"

I didn't want to admit the truth, especially not to Luke. "Yes," I said grudgingly. "But I told him to stay with his girlfriend."

"Is that what you meant when you said you rejected him?" I looked up at him, expecting him to be jealous, but he just seemed curious. I found myself glad at the realization.

"Yeah."

Luke turned away from me. "Wow, Annie. That was stupid."

I hit him with a pillow. "I already know that. And don't call me Annie, _Lukey_."

He immediately cringed and I felt satisfied. "Whatever, Annabeth. Just tell me the details for this party."

I told him everything I knew about it, having gathered all my information from Piper between breaths when she was making out with Jason. I thought I could see a mischievous glint in Luke's eye, but when I looked again, it was seemingly gone. If only I had known what he was up to in that moment.

* * *

A couple hours later, I left Luke's house, and spending time with him again made me almost feel okay again.

Almost.

 **A/N: Short chapter, I know. This was mainly a filler chapter, because next chapter is going to be the 4th of July party, and I have a lot planned. :) Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! I've been trying to post more frequently lately, so I'd like to have at least seven reviews for this chapter. This chapter is pretty big, in my opinion, and so is the next chapter, so please tell me what you think. Enjoy! :)**

 **Annabeth Chase's POV:**

Friday night came before I knew it.

The work week had flown by fast, surprisingly. Each day seemed to take longer than the last and I seemed to have to evade Percy more than usual. It was hard for me not to talk to him, but I didn't want Rachel to yell at me just for being with him for five seconds. Besides, being around him just made me sad, like I was reliving the past week all over again.

It was after close when he finally cornered me.

I was dipping my feet in the deep end of the pool, the water feeling nice and cool on my toes. I wasn't paying attention to anything else, just lost in my seemingly-endless thoughts. My feet swayed in the water below, and I was so focused on the blue waves that I didn't even realize that everything had suddenly gone quiet. Only a few minutes before, Percy had been talking loudly to Jason. But now? Total silence.

Suddenly suspicious, I looked up at the towering high dive above me. It loomed overhead, close to where I was sitting on the concrete. Standing on the very edge of the high dive was Percy, grinning down at me mischievously. I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could.

"Seaweed Brain," I warned, using his old nickname without even thinking about it. He backed

away a foot or so like was going to get down, then just as quickly ran off the board and jumped. As soon as he did, I knew I was a goner.

Percy landed into the water gracefully and water shot out in every direction, drenching me in the process.

"You are such an idiot!" I yelled at him. Next thing I knew, I was jumping in next to him, doing my best to splash him the same way he had to me. Percy seemed to be enjoying himself and not at all angry that I was trying to kill him.

"You barely talk to me for a week and the first thing you do is try to kill me, Wise Girl," Percy said, eyes twinkling, though I could see he was a little upset, too.

I backed away from him, suddenly remembering that I was trying to avoid him. "You deserve death after splashing me," I said, evading the subtle meaning behind his words. I swam towards the ladder and climbed out of the pool. Percy followed me back to my lifeguard chair, where I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around myself.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Percy asked, confused and somewhat hurt.

I didn't look into his eyes, pretending to be busy with my bag. "Doing what?"

"Avoiding me. Did I do something?" he wondered. I had no idea how he was so oblivious.

"Your girlfriend doesn't really like me, if you haven't noticed," I muttered, fumbling with my stuff.

He bit his lip. "Rachel likes you plenty." I scoffed in response. "She knows me and you are friends." His last word lingered in the air.

"Well maybe that should change," I mocked, quoting Rachel from only a few days before.

"You heard that?" Percy questioned.

I snorted. "You guys really need to work on your whispering skills." I turned away from my bag to face him. "Look, Rachel obviously doesn't want me around, and she seems to get mad at you when I am."

"I don't want to lose you," Percy said softly, his sea-green eyes full of desperation.

I ignored the burning in my eyes. I was tired of crying all the time. And over what? A boy who would always choose his girlfriend over me?

Before I could answer, Rachel came walking towards us, a slight scowl on her face. "Take care, Seaweed Brain. I'll see you tonight," I said, getting away from them as fast as I could. I hurried to get to my car, desperate to be home for a couple hours before I had to go to Rachel's party.

* * *

A couple hours later, I was in Luke's car in the passenger's seat, wearing a flowery blouse, light-colored jeans, and grey ankle boots. Luke was snickering to himself, mainly because I usually never wore anything but a t-shirt and jeans, but I just rolled my eyes at him.

It was about a fifteen minute drive to Rachel's house, or should I say _mansion_. Percy had never told me that her parents were rich. Both Luke and I stared off at the house in shock.

We walked around the house to the backyard, where several teenagers were hanging out around an enormous-sized pool, some sitting around on plastic tubes or pool noodles. A lot of people were scattered around on the grass, drinking out of red Solo cups and listening to the loud music blasting.

Over the crowd of people, I spotted a head of messy raven black hair. "Want something to drink?" Luke asked as I spotted Percy.

"Sure," I said, smiling lightly. I could visibly see Percy coming toward me now. Luke started towards a couple tables with refreshments.

Percy was in front of me, a blue Coke in his hand. I met him halfway and closed the distance between us. "Hey, Wise Girl," he smiled. It was almost like earlier had never even happened.

"Hey. Where's Rachel?" I replied, trying to keep my tone casual

Percy shrugged. "I haven't seen her. She's hanging out with one of her friends she met on vacation. Octavian, I think."

I went to reply before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw it was Luke. He handed me a can of Pepsi. "Here you go." For the first time, he seemed to notice Percy. "Hey man," Luke said nonchalantly. Percy looked quite the opposite, his face hardened into a glare.

"I didn't know you were coming," Percy said, his jaw tightening. I was glad to see Luke keeping his cool, though.

He smiled instead. "Yeah. Annabeth invited me. Cool party."

Percy clenched his jaw some more before mumbling, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go kick a tree." He turned away from us, stalking off into a crowd of people.

Luke glanced at me, eyes wide. "Well, that was intense."

I popped open my Pepsi tab, taking a sip. I pushed the thought of seeing Percy out of my mind. "At least you didn't say anything to make it worse."

"I think my being here is just making it worse," Luke smirked. I rolled my eyes.

Both of us decided to split up and talk to some people. After searching through everybody, I found Jason and Piper sitting together on a canopy swing.

"Hey guys," I grinned, happy to talk to someone I knew without having to deal with stupid drama.

"Hey," Piper smiled back, holding hands with Jason. "Did you come here with Luke? I saw him a little bit ago."

I nodded. "Yeah. We're trying to hang out more. I'm just glad that we're friends again."

"So what did you do about Percy?" she replied. Jason looked slightly uncomfortable, like he was listening to a conversation he wasn't supposed to hear.

I fiddled with my pop tab. "Well, he's still with Rachel. I shouldn't have told him to stay with her."

"Feelings are tricky," Piper added.

Jason stood up. "I'll leave you guys to talk. I'm gonna go find Leo."

Piper smiled after him. "I'll find you later for fireworks!" He flashed her a quick grin before walking away.

"So how are things with Jason?" I asked, sitting down next to her on the swing. I felt bad for constantly talking about my life when she was in a new relationship with Jason.

"Better than I could have ever imagined," she said dreamily. "I'm so glad we're together."

I laughed. "I've noticed. You're very...close at work."

I could see her face visibly blush. "Oops." We both giggled.

Both of us chatted for awhile about work and school coming up, and before we knew it, the sky had darkened to pitch black.

"I should probably go find Luke," I apologized, standing up from the swing. "I'll catch ya later, Piper."

She smiled, standing up, too. "I need to go find Jason, too. Bye."

I squinted through the dark, looking for Luke when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find him standing behind me. I gave him a small smile and we found a spot in the grass and sat there to watch the fireworks.

Several different colors burst onto the blank sky, shimmering in iridescent shades. I happily watched as the fireworks exploded, and I was watching so intently that I didn't even notice that Luke had left me alone on the blanket. Confused as to where he went, I got up from my spot to find him.

During my search for him, I bumped into Piper and Jason again. "Have you guys seen Luke?"

"I think I saw him go into the house," Piper said helpfully, and I thanked her before walking towards Rachel's back door.

I opened the door and heard two voices, Percy's and Luke's, coming from another room. I closed the door softly behind me.

I followed their voices and got close enough to where I could hear their conversation. I started to walk towards them, but the moment I heard my name, I froze.

"Why'd you storm off earlier? Are you jealous of me and Annabeth?" I could hear Luke say calmly.

Percy sighed in response. "Is it that obvious?" The nervous butterflies in my stomach grew.

"Annabeth and I are just friends, dude," Luke said. "We were both just confused about our feelings."

Percy must've been shocked, because he didn't answer for a minute or so before he said, "But Annabeth told me that she was confusing her feelings for me with you."

"She lied," Luke explained. "I don't know why, but I know she still does."

Before I could stop myself or hear Percy's response, I stormed into the room they were in, which I realized was the kitchen. Luke's eyes widened as I entered the room, my face hard and cold. "Hey Annie," he said weakly.

"Don't 'Annie' me," I said angrily. "How could you do that?"

"I didn't want to see you miserable anymore! You both are," Luke protested. "I was trying to help you. I'm sorry."

I didn't care they. I felt humiliated that Luke had outed my feelings to Percy. "I want to go home."

Luke conceded, pulling his keys out of his pocket. "I'll go start the car," he said, leaving me alone with Percy.

The moment Luke left Rachel's house, Percy asked, "Is all of that true?" His sea-green eyes met my grey ones, and I knew that no matter what lie I told, he wouldn't believe me.

"Yes," I admitted quietly.

"Annabeth, I-"

I interrupted him. "I can't talk about this right now."

He looked hurt and disappointed. "Okay."

I heard a horn beep outside. "I have to go."

I ran out of the room and out the door, too fast that he couldn't even get a goodbye out.

I found Luke out front, his car parked in front of Rachel's house. "I'm sorry," Luke apologized again, but I didn't want to hear it.

"Just drive," I replied instead, leaning my head against the car window. It felt nice and cold, and I swallowed hard to bite back the tears in my eyes. He complied, driving me back home in silence.

I tried to block out all my memories of the entire day, but it was nearly impossible. The one most prominent in my mind was of Percy's hurt and disappointed face, staring at me as I ran away from him again.

And for the millionth time that week, I couldn't wait to get home and be alone.


End file.
